Changes to vertical thermoregulatory movements of juvenile bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the northwestern Pacific Ocean with time of day, seasonal ocean vertical thermal structure, and body size

Abstract

AbstractVertical movements related to the thermoregulation were investigated in 12 juvenile bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in Japanese waters using archival tag data. Movements changed with time of day, season, and body size. During daytime, bigeye tuna descended to greater depths, presumably to feed in the deep scattering layer (DSL). Thereafter, they repeatedly ascended to shallower layers, suggesting attempts at behavioral thermoregulation, although the beginning of vertical thermoregulatory ascents might reflect a shift in DSL depth. By the end of such movement, the whole‐body heat‐transfer coefficient might decrease because, although the depth and ambient temperature of the upper layers did not change, the body temperature gradually decreased significantly just after ascent for thermoregulation. Seasonal patterns indicated that the vertical thermal structure of the ocean might influence this ascent behavior. For example, from January to May, bigeye tuna made fewer ascents to less shallow waters, suggesting that they respond to increasing depths of the mixed surface layer by reducing energy expenditure during vertical migration. In addition, as body size increased, fewer thermoregulatory ascents were required to maintain body temperature, and fish remained deeper for longer periods. Thus, vertical thermoregulatory movements might change with body size as bigeye tuna develop better endothermic and thermoregulatory abilities. We hypothesize that bigeye might also increase cold tolerance as they grow, possibly due to ontogenetic shifts in cardiac function.