45 Spanish Captive Bred Bluefin Tuna Reach 3 Kgff

Source: Fish Information and Services

The Secretary General of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama), Carlos Domínguez, states that the scientific research for breeding bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in captivity is an “example for the entire Mediterranean.”

In reference to fattening techniques and the exploitation of this resource, the official argues that if these processes, which have been “so reviled at times,” are strictly performed then, they “pose no risk and help to restore its population.”

Dominguez expressed these statements in Cartagena, after a visit to the offshore tuna aquaculture facilities belonging to the company Caladeros del Mediterráneo in Murcia, which is owned by the group Ricardo Fuentes.

The official toured these facilities along with the Minister of Agriculture and Water in the Region of Murcia, Antonio Cerdá.

The Fisheries Secretary General expressed he was “pleasantly surprised” by the progress in the scientific research for bluefin tuna breeding in captivity.

On this farm over 45 bluefin tuna specimens have been kept alive and they weigh over three kilos, with a survival rate now exceeding a year, compared to 103 days which was the maximum livespan the company’s Bluefin reached two years ago in a previous trail.

This year, they have also been able to achieve 2,600 fry specimens, weighing five grams, from adult specimens in cages, according to La Verdad.

“It would be great to be able to close the breeding cycle of tuna in captivity because in this way, the dependence on fishing for tuna in the wild would be reduced and there would be an alternative,” said Domínguez.

The national official also congratulated the members of the Agriculture Ministry and of the company Caladeros del Mediterráneo “on the good management of the bluefin tuna season this year, which will undoubtedly result in an increase in quota for this species in coming years.”

Moreover, Domínguez met with the fishermen of the Association of Mazarrón (Murcia) to discuss the problems faced by the sector.