Direct quantification of energy intake in an apex marine predator suggests physiology is a key driver of migrations
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Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) are highly migratory apex marine predators that inhabit a broad thermal niche. The energy needed for migration must be garnered by foraging, but measuring energy intake in the marine environment is challenging. We quantified the energy intake of Pacific bluefin tuna in the California Current using a laboratory-validated model, the first such measurement in a wild marine predator. Mean daily energy intake was highest off the coast of Baja California, Mexico in summer (mean ± SD, 1034 ± 669 kcal), followed by autumn when Pacific bluefin achieve their northernmost range in waters off northern California (944 ± 579 kcal). Movements were not always consistent with maximizing energy intake: the Pacific bluefin move out of energy rich waters both in late summer and winter, coincident with rising and falling water temperatures, respectively. We hypothesize that temperature-related physiological constraints drive migration and that Pacific bluefin tuna optimize energy intake within a range of optimal aerobic performance.
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High feeding rates indicated by internal-external temperature ratios are known to occur during this time period.
“High feeding rates indicated by internal-external temperature ratios are known to occur during this time period (Kitagawa et al., 2007; Whitlock et al., 2015), suggesting at least partial dependence on upwelling-induced productivity that contributes to greater bycatch risk near upwelling zones.”
From Oceanographic determinants of ocean sunfish (Mola mola) and bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) bycatch patterns in the California large mesh drift gillnet fishery (2017) · cites this paper as Whitlock et al., 2015
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- Authors
- Whitlock, R. E., Hazen, E. L., Walli, A., Farwell, C., Bograd, S. J., Foley, D. G., Castleton, M., & Block, B. A.
- Affiliations
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US)
- Hopkins Marine Station (US)
- Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey Bay, CA 93940, USA.
- Corresponding author
- Whitlock, Rebecca E.
- Venue
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2015-09-04
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- e1400270-e1400270
- ISSN
- 2375-2548 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4643779
- OpenAlex
- W2339423802
- Cited by
- 75
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 7.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Science Advances (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (ID0E6WAG1509, FATE 1104)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Marine and fisheries research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Keywords
- Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, energy intake, migration, foraging, thermal niche, water temperature, aerobic performance, California Current, seasonal movement, physiological constraints
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