The relationship between fishing characteristics of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) and ocean conditions around Jeju Island

Abstract

Abstract Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) is one of the commercially important species in Korea as well as other countries of the North Pacific. Korean offshore large purse seine fisheries targeting small pelagic fishes such as chub mackerel have caught T. orientalis temporarily in the east of Jeju Island. The catch of T. orientalis in March through June occupied approximately 60% of the total. The monthly catch around Jeju Island from 2004 to 2013 showed a negative correlation (r = − 0.755, p < 0.01) with the seawater temperature at 50 m and had a significant positive correlation (r = 0.856, p < 0.01) with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation Index (PDOI). The highest catch and catch per unit effort (CPUE) of T. orientalis around Jeju Island occurred either when the seawater temperature ranged between 15 and 16 °C at 50 m or when the catch was taken near the frontal area where two water masses from offshore and coastal areas collide. The length of T. orientalis caught around Jeju Island from 2004 to 2013 ranged from 19 to 193 cm in fork length (FL). The time series of the monthly mean FL of T. orientalis had a negative correlation (r = − 0.592, p < 0.01) with the seawater temperature at 50 m and had a significant positive correlation (r = 0.668, p < 0.05) with PDOI.

Keywords

• Thunnus orientalis
• Fishing ground
• Environmental factors
• Seawater temperature
• Pacific Decadal Oscillation Index (PDOI)