Abstract

Catch-and-release (C&R) angling is often touted as a sustainable form of ecotourism, yet the fine-scale behaviour and physiological responses of released fish is often unknown, especially for hard-to-study large pelagic species like Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT; Thunnus thunnus). Multi-channel sensors were deployed and recovered from 10 ABFTs in a simulated recreational C&R event off the west coast of Ireland. Data were recorded from 6 to 25hours, with one ABFT (tuna X) potentially suffering mortality minutes after release. Almost all ABFTs (n = 9, including tuna X) immediately and rapidly (vertical speeds of ~2.0ms-1) made powered descents and used 50-60% of the available water column within 20seconds, before commencing near-horizontal swimming ~60seconds post-release. Dominant tailbeat frequency was ~50% higher in the initial hours post-release and appeared to stabilize at 0.8-1.0Hz some 5-10hours post-release. Results also suggest different short-term behavioural responses to noteworthy variations in capture and handling procedures (injury and reduced air exposure events). Our results highlight both the immediate and longer-term effects of C&R on ABFTs and that small variations in C&R protocols can influence physiological and behavioural responses of species like the commercially valuable and historically over-exploited ABFT.

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