THE PECULIARITIES AND FARMING CHALLENGES OF ATLANTIC BLUEFIN TUNA (Thunnus thynnus, L. 1758)

Cilj ovog rada je pružiti uvid u osobitosti atlantske plavoperajne tune s posebnim naglaskom na izazove njenog uzgoja. Visoka cijena tune dovela je do intenzifikacije ribolovnog pritiska na zalihe tune, što je rezultiralo značajnim smanjenjem populacije u svim oceanima koje tuna nastanjuje. Vrlo je teško prikupiti potrebne podatke za prikladnu analizu procjene stokova i stupanj nepouzdanosti modela koji se koriste za procjenu stokova plavoperajne tune je vrlo visok. Uzgajanje tuna možda bi moglo pomoći u smanjenu pritiska na populaciju tuna, no problem jest što se većina uzgajane ribe hvata iz prirodnog okoliša (divlja populacija) i tovi se do određene veličine. Osim toga postoje i brojni drugi izazovi uzgoja. Tuna je brz plivač i veliki potrošač energije i kisika, te troši velike količine hrane na održavanje metabolizma. No zbog njenog izvrsnog okusa, visoke tržišne cijene i velike potražnje, pritisak na ovu vrstu će najvjerojatnije i daje rasti. Stoga njen u potpunosti intenzivan uzgoj, koji uključuje zaokruženi ciklus razmnožavnja u zatočeništvu, ostaje jedno od mogućih riješenja koji bi mogli smanjiti pritisak na populaciju tune.
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of bluefin tuna, with special regard to its farming challenges. Tuna is one of the most prominent species in fisheries worldwide. The high market value of tuna stocks has led to intensified fishing pressure that resulted in drastic population reductions in every ocean where these fish are found. It is very difficult to obtain the necessary data for the appropriate stock assessment analysis, and there is a very high degree of uncertainty in the models used to evaluate Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks. Tuna-farming could help reduce pressure on the tuna population, but the problem is that the majority of cage-farmed fish is caught in its natural environment (wild population), and thus is fattened or farmed to a certain size. Additionally, the challenges in tuna farming are numerous. Tuna is a fast swimmer, a large energy and oxygen consumer, therefore consuming a large portion of available food to maintain its metabolism. However, due to its delicious taste, high market price and a large demand for this species, pressure will probably continue to grow in the future. Therefore intensive farming, which implies the full breeding cycle in captivity, remains one of the possible solutions that could help reduce the pressure on the tuna population.