Clean Seas Tuna is unlikely to achieve its target of transferring 25,000 Southern bluefin tuna fingerlings into sea cages this season.
The company announced last week that it remains confident it will be able to put some fingerlings into sea cages before the ocean temperatures became too cold but is unlikely to reach its original target of 25,000.
Fingerlings not transferred to sea cages in April or May will be transferred to large, on-shore, temperature and light-controlled broodstock tanks in the new tuna hatchery at Arno Bay.
These tanks were designed to assist fingerling growout until the ocean temperatures increase to a level to support their survival.
The company aims to complete its spawning program by the end of April 2010 to give the broodstock enough recovery time before next season’s spawning.
