Temporal distribution of size and weight of fattened Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus l.) from Tunisian farms: (2005-2010)

The present study analysis size and weight-frequency composition of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus thynnus) fattened in Tunisian farms for the period 2005-2010 and compare these morphometric parameters with those from wild bluefin tuna landed on 2001 at Sfax port (Tunisia). A total of 6,757 wild and fattened bluefin tuna were measured as straight-line fork length and 49,962 were weighted. Average value of K for wild BFT was 1.59 and respectively 2.43, 2.32, 2.15, 1.61, 1.79 and 1.90 for Fattened BFT after 5-6 months from 2005 to 2010. Length frequency of fattened bluefin showed clearly a substantial increase in juvenile rate. The percentage which was 21.4% in 2005 reached 31.3% in 2009. For weight distribution, 73.3% of the fish caught in 2001 are below the annual mean (75.7 kg), while means 71 to 72% of fattened fish were under annual mean weight. Year 2009 is exceptional because only 57% of fattened fish were under the mean weight. This demonstrates that the fish caught are becoming increasingly small. Mean weight for fattening period (77 to 124 kg) are obviously higher than those of the wild fish (75,7kg).This study showed an increment in the amount of specimen under first sexual maturity which will not have the chance to spawn

Spatial distribution of tuna larvae in the gulf of Gabes (Eastern Mediterranean) in relation with environmental parameters

Spatial distribution and ecology of the larvae of three tuna species (Thunnus thynnus, Auxis rochei and Euthynnus alletteratus) were studied during an ichthyoplankton survey carried out in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia) in June and July 2009. A total of 80 stations, distributed on a regular sampling grid, were sampled. The main objectives of this survey were to provide information on tuna larvae distribution in the Gulf of Gabes in relation to the environmental parameters. Regarding small tunas, larvae of A. rochei (bullet tuna) showed the more widespread distribution, being found at both inshore and offshore stations. E. alletteratus (Atlantic black skipjack) larvae were mainly found at the inshore stations covering the wide continental shelf of this region. On the other hand, larvae of the large migratory tuna T. Thynnus (Atlantic bluefin tuna), were mainly recorded at offshore stations, suggesting that spawning possibly takes place mainly near the shelf break. Regarding the biological and physical parameters examined, our results indicate that tuna larvae were mainly collected in oligotrophic and mixed waters resulting from the confluence of surface water of recent Atlantic origin and resident surface Mediterranean waters, as shown by their preference for lower chlorophyll a concentrations (from 1.4 to 2.5 mg m-3) and moderate salinity values (between 37.35 and 37.75). Significantly, tuna larvae seemed to avoid the more eutrophic and saltier waters of the gulf situated very close to the coast and around Kerkennah and Djerba islandsPublicado

Caracterización del área de puesta de especies de túnidos en las costas del norte de Túnez

Early life stages of tuna species were investigated along the northern coasts of Tunisia in the summer of 2010, from 7 to 14 July. A total of 74 stations, distributed on a regular grid, were sampled. Larvae of five tuna species were identified: the Atlantic bluefin tuna, the bullet tuna, the Atlantic black skipjack, the Atlantic bonito and the albacore tuna. Larval distribution patterns show that Atlantic bluefin tuna and albacore tuna usually spawn in offshore oligotrophic waters and Atlantic black skipjack larvae on the continental shelf. The widespread distribution of bullet tuna larvae, suggests that it spawns on the entire continental shelf and over the shelf break. The results from the quotient analysis carried out to characterize the spawning habitat of each species, show that the input of recent surface Atlantic water (AW) masses play a key role in the spawning strategy of tuna species, particularly in the case of the Atlantic bluefin tuna, whose larvae were mainly caught in the mixed waters resulting from the interaction between recent AW and resident AW, as demonstrated by their preference for salinity values between 36.9 and 37.4.Se investigaron las fases larvarias tempranas de especies de túnidos a lo largo de las costas del norte de Túnez, durante el verano de 2010, del 7 al 14 de julio. Se muestrearon un total de 74 estaciones, distribuidas en una malla regular. Se identificaron larvas de cinco especies: el atún rojo, la melva, la bacoreta, el bonito y el atún blanco. Los patrones de distri-bución de larvas muestran que el atún rojo y el atún blanco desovan generalmente en aguas oligotróficas alejadas de la costa. Por contra, la localización relativamente más costera de las larvas de bacoreta indica que esta especie se reproduce sobre la plataforma continental, mientras que la amplia distribución de las larvas de melva sugiere que esta especie desova a lo largo de toda la plataforma y el margen continental. Los resultados del análisis de proporcionalidad, llevado a cabo para caracteri-zar el hábitat de puesta de cada especie, muestran que la entrada de masas de agua superficial atlántica (AW) reciente juegan un papel clave en la estrategia de desove de las especies de túnidos, sobre todo en el caso del atún rojo, cuyas larvas fueron capturadas principalmente en las aguas de mezcla, resultantes de la interacción entre el AW reciente y la residente, como lo demuestra su preferencia por los valores de salinidad entre 36.9 y 37.4.Versión del editor1,006

Molecular Identification of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus, Scombridae) Larvae and Development of a DNA Character-Based Identification Key for Mediterranean Scombrids

The Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, is a commercially important species that has been severely over-exploited in the recent past. Although the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock is now showing signs of recovery, its current status remains very uncertain and as a consequence their recovery is dependent upon severe management informed by rigorous scientific research. Monitoring of early life history stages can inform decision makers about the health of the species based upon recruitment and survival rates. Misidentification of fish larvae and eggs can lead to inaccurate estimates of stock biomass and productivity which can trigger demands for increased quotas and unsound management conclusions. Herein we used a molecular approach employing mitochondrial and nuclear genes (CO1 and ITS1, respectively) to identify larvae (n = 188) collected from three spawning areas in the Mediterranean Sea by different institutions working with a regional fisheries management organization. Several techniques were used to analyze the genetic sequences (sequence alignments using search algorithms, neighbour joining trees, and a genetic character-based identification key) and an extensive comparison of the results is presented. During this process various inaccuracies in related publications and online databases were uncovered. Our results reveal important differences in the accuracy of the taxonomic identifications carried out by different ichthyoplanktologists following morphology- based methods. While less than half of larvae provided were bluefin tuna, other dominant taxa were bullet tuna (Auxis rochei), albacore (Thunnus alalunga) and little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus). We advocate an expansion of expertise for a new generation of morphology-based taxonomists, increased dialogue between morphology-based and molecular taxonomists and increased scrutiny of public sequence databases.Versión del editor4,411

Genetic Structure of Bluefin Tuna in the Mediterranean Sea Correlates with Environmental Variables

Abstract Background Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (ABFT) shows complex demography and ecological variation in the Mediterranean Sea. Genetic surveys have detected significant, although weak, signals of population structuring; catch series analyses and tagging programs identified complex ABFT spatial dynamics and migration patterns. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the genetic structure of the ABFT in the Mediterranean is correlated with mean surface temperature and salinity. Methodology We used six samples collected from Western and Central Mediterranean integrated with a new sample collected from the recently identified easternmost reproductive area of Levantine Sea. To assess population structure in the Mediterranean we used a multidisciplinary framework combining classical population genetics, spatial and Bayesian clustering methods and a multivariate approach based on factor analysis. Conclusions FST analysis and Bayesian clustering methods detected several subpopulations in the Mediterranean, a result also supported by multivariate analyses. In addition, we identified significant correlations of genetic diversity with mean salinity and surface temperature values revealing that ABFT is genetically structured along two environmental gradients. These results suggest that a preference for some spawning habitat conditions could contribute to shape ABFT genetic structuring in the Mediterranean. However, further studies should be performed to assess to what extent ABFT spawning behaviour in the Mediterranean Sea can be affected by environmental variation.(undefined

Doorway Flows Induced by the Combined Effects of Natural and Forced Ventilation in Case of Multi-compartments Large-Scale Fire Experiments

International audienceThis paper deals with the combined effects of fire and mechanical ventilation on the bi-directional flow occurring at a doorway for a fire scenario involving a three-compartment assembly. Based on large-scale fire tests, the analysis focused on three issues the velocity profiles at the doorway, the location of the neutral plane, and the inflow and outflow rates entering and leaving the fire compartment. The combined effect of fire and mechanical ventilation leads to different flow regimes depending on whether the smoke outflow (or the fresh air inflow) and the forced ventilation are directed in the same direction or in opposite directions. The theoretical description based on the Bernoulli approach for natural convection flow is applied in case of the combined effect of buoyancy and inertia. Five configurations are identified one-directional flow of smoke, bi-directional flow with upper smoke flow as dominant, natural convection case with equal smoke and fresh air flows, bi-directional flow with lower fresh air flow as dominant, and one-directional flow with only fresh air flow. These regimes are observed experimentally and clearly defined theoretically. A satisfactory agreement is obtained between the theory and the experiments. This approach permits identifying the critical conditions under which one-directional flow is encountered at the doorway. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York

Experimental determination of the discharge flow coefficient at a doorway for fire induced flow in natural and mixed convection

International audienceThe study is an experimental investigation of the discharge flow coefficient at a doorway-type opening in the case of a fire in an enclosure open to atmosphere. Natural and mixed convection flows are considered with the use of mechanical ventilation. The discharge coefficient is defined as the ratio between the effective flow rate determined experimentally and a theoretical flow rate based on a Bernoulli approach. The effective mass flow rate is obtained from velocity field measured with stereoscopic particle image velocimetry technique. The theoretical flow rate is calculated from vertical temperature profiles measured from both sides of the doorway. Only inflow rate is considered for the calculation of the discharge coefficient. In natural convection mode, a C-D value of 0.54 +/- 0.5 is obtained on a reduced-scale opening (to be compared with 0.68 at large scale). In a mixed convection case, the discharge coefficient is much lower and reaches 0.26 +/- 0.06. This study shows that the discharge coefficient C-D may vary significantly regarding the dimension of the opening and the flow conditions (natural and mixed convection). It illustrates the limits of considering a constant discharge coefficient when dealing with doorway flows in a confined and mechanically ventilated compartment. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Numerical simulations of fire-induced doorway flows in a small scale enclosure

International audienceField simulation results of a fire, centered in a small scale enclosure (1.04 m3) with an open doorway, performed with the CFD computer code ISIS, are presented. Three heat release rates of 10.6, 15.5 and 21.7 kW, provided with a propane gas burner, are numerically studied and compared to experimental results. Turbulence and soot modeling are first validated by simulating the gas burner fire in an open atmosphere for the three fire powers. Due to the complex role of buoyancy in production of turbulence inside a pool fire plume, anisotropic modeling, through the generalized gradient diffusion hypothesis, is considered in the standard k-ε model. The comparisons between experimental measurements and numerical simulation results, for the enclosure fire, concern temperature and velocity profiles at the doorway and temperature profiles inside the enclosure. Velocity measurements at the open doorway are performed using a stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) technique, allowing a full comparison with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results. For the three heat release rates, the simulation results agree well with experimental measurements. General flow patterns, provided by CFD simulations, are reported for the highest fire power and supply useful information for understanding enclosure fires. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Experimental Study of EGR Dilution and O 2 Enrichment Effects on Turbulent Non-Premixed Swirling Flames

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Distribution of tuna larvae in Tunisian east coasts and its environmental scenario

Early life stages of tuna species were investigated along the Tunisian east coast during the summer of 2008 by means of a larval survey conducted on board the R/V HANNIBAL. In this study we define the spawning grounds of tuna fishes in Tunisian waters and relate the tuna larvae spatial distribution to the hydrographic features and other environmental parameters. A total of 282 larvae of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus, Linnaeus, 1758), 902 of bullet tuna (Auxis rochei, Risso, 1810) and 19 of little tuna (Euthynnus alletteratus, Raf, 1810), were identified. High larval concentrations of bluefin tuna were located offshore (mean = 200 ± 18 m), at sea surface temperatures ranging between 23.7 to 25.3°C, whereas the highest concentrations of bullet and little tuna were located in shallower waters (mean = 135 ± 75 m), at sea surface temperature ranging between 25.1 to 25.9°C. According to their preference for waters with surface salinities ranging between 37.1 and 37.8, spawning of these species seems to occur mainly in mixed waters. Stations where tuna larvae were collected showed oxygen concentrations between 6.55 and 6.85 mg l-1, as well as low turbidity and chlorophyll a values, from 0.2 to 0.5 NTU a d less than 1 mg m-3, respectively. These three environmental factors were weakly correlated with tuna larvae abundancePublicado