Cannibalism among size classes of larvae may be a substantial mortality component in tuna.

The article highlights the role played by cannibalism and piscivory in the early development of different species of tuna. In the study performed by the authors around the Balearic Islands in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, they centered on the three most abundant species in the area which includes the bluefin Thunnus thynnus, abacore Thunnus alalung and the bullet tuna Auxis rochei. They found that pure zooplankton diet is not enough to sustain development and that piscivory can be a good source of larval mortality. They also disclosed that cannibalism was dependent on temperature-dependent growth rate of the tuna.