Brussels, 25/08/2010 (Agence Europe) - EU scientists have succeeded in obtaining viable mass eggs from Atlantic bluefin tuna in captivity, using natural means and without any hormonal induction. “If breeding can be developed on a commercial scale, pressure on endangered wild stocks could be significantly relieved”, explains the European Commission in a press release published on Wednesday 25 August. This is the result of the third year of work of SELFDOTT, a research project funded by the European Union to the tune of € 2.98 million and co-ordinated by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO). The results of the project have been filmed and will be broadcast on 26 August on "Futuris", the science programme of TV channel Euronews.
Research and Innovation Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn commented: “If the results of this research can ultimately be commercialised, it can improve food supplies and contribute to economic growth and employment while also helping to ensure a sustainable management of bluefin tuna.”
A spokesperson for the Commission pointed out that bluefin tuna in the Atlantic is an endangered species because it subject to overfishing by fishermen. The Commission has therefore provided backing to the research programme to come up with a technique to spawn bluefin tuna by natural means. At present, operators fish-farming bluefin tuna catch young fish at sea and fatten them up in cages, but this does not solve the overfishing problem, explained the Commission spokesperson. The research team has managed to get eggs from captive fish to spawn naturally, as an alternative to fattening up juvenile fish.
The researchers have been monitoring the development of 200 million eggs, which are currently spawning. Young fish are being born and the experts have constituted a stock of 40 adult fish which are now being kept in floating cages at sea for three years, near Alicante in Spain and in Malta. The 200 million eggs produced were divided among the various partners to the research in France, Greece, Italy and Israel. Preliminary trials were carried out last year but the fish only lived for 73 hours. A fully-grown Atlantic bluefin tuna can weigh up to 400 kg.
The SELFDOTT team will now study the embryonic and larval development of these eggs and seek to improve the survival and growth of the juveniles. The project aims also to develop sustainable feeds for bluefin tuna juveniles and to produce a protocol for commercial-scale larval rearing.
According to the IEO researchers, these results show the tuna's ability to adapt after more than three years of domestication. A total of 10 million eggs were produced in a single day. Getting naturally spawned eggs from captive individuals is an important step forward in research on Atlantic bluefin tuna fish-farming, bringing commercial breeding of this species closer.
SELFDOTT is a consortium representing 13 government bodies, research institutes and industry organisations from France (IFREMER, CNRS, University of Montpellier 2), Germany (University of Düsseldorf), Greece (HCMR), Israel (NCM-IOLR), Italy (University of Bari), Malta (MCFS, Malta FishFarming), Norway (Skretting) and Spain (University of Cádiz, Ricardo Fuentes Group and the co-ordinating IEO). A website has been set up for the research project (http://www.selfdott.org ). The Futuris television documentary about SELFDOTT can be seen from 27 August onwards on the Euronews website (http: //fr.euronews.net/sci-tech/futuris/). (L.C./transl.fl)