2.1.10.3 FRI

CHAPTER 2.1.10.3 AUTHORS: LAST UPDATE: FRIGATE TUNA J. VALEIRAS and E. ABAD Sept. 4, 2006

2.1.10.3 Description of Frigate Tuna (FRI)

1. Names

1.a Classification and taxonomy

Species name: Auxis thazard (Lacepède 1800) ICCAT species code: FRI ICCAT names: Frigate tuna (English), Auxide (French), Melva (Spanish)

According to Collette and Nauen (1983), the frigate tuna is classified as follows:

• Phylum: Chordata • Subphylum: Vertebrata • Superclass: Gnathostomata • Class: Osteichthyes • Subclass: Actinopterygii • Order: Perciformes • Suborder: Scombroidei • Family: Scombridae

Some authors have used the name Auxis thazard as including Auxis rochei in the belief that there was only a single worldwide species of Auxis (Collette and Nauen 1983). Most of the published data on biological parameters of Auxis in Atlantic ocean are from Auxis rochei.

1.b Common names

List of vernacular names used according to ICCAT, FAO and Fishbase (www.fishbase.org). The list is not exhaustive and some local names might not be included.

Angola: Chapouto, Judeo. Australia: Frigate mackerel, Leadenall. Brazil: Albacora-bandolim, Bonito, Bonito-cachorro, Cachorro, Cadelo, Cavala, Judeu, Serra. Cape Verde: Cachorra, Cachorrinha, Chapouto, Gaiado, Judeo-liso, Judeu, Merma, Panguil, Serra. China: ᅭ⯦㫎, ᡥ⯦㫎. Chinese Taipei: ᡥⰼ㫎. Cuba: Melva aletilargo. Denmark: Auxide. Djibouti: Auxide, Frigate tuna. Dominican Republic: Bonito. Ecuador: Botellita. Finland: Auksidi. France: Auxide. Germany: Fregattmakrele. Greece: ȉȠȣȝʌĮȡȑȜȚ, ȀȠʌȐȞȚ, ȀȠʌĮȞȐțȚ, ǺĮȡİȜȐțȚ, Kopani-Kopanaki. India: Ayila soora, Bugudi, Churai, Ellichoora, Frigate mackerel, Frigate-tuna, Gedar, Gedara, Kuppa, Kutteli- churai, Ragondi, Urulan-churai. Indonesia: Balaki. Iran: Batch-e-zardeh.

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Italy: Mpisu, Biso, Bisu, Bonitu, Culariau, Istrumbu, Istrumbulu, Motolo, Motulu, Muetolo, Pisantuni, Pizzutellu, Sangusu, Scurmo, Scurmu, Sgamirru, Sgamiru, Sgionfeto, Strumbo, Strumbu, Strumbulu, Strummulu, Tambarela, Tambarello, Tambarelo, Tamburello, Tombarello, Tonnetto, Tumbarello, Tunnacchiu. Japan: Hiramejika, Hirasoda, Hirasôda, Hirasodakatsuo, Oboso, Obosogatsuwo, Shibuwa, Soda-gatsuo, Soma, Suma. Malaysia: Aya, Aya selaseh, Baculan, Bakulan, Kayau, Kayu, Selasih, Tongkol, Tongkol selasih. Martinique: Bonit queue raide. Mexico: Barrilete negro, Bonito, Melva. Micronesia: Mackerel tuna, Yasiuneiu-yauma. Mozambique: Judeu. Netherlands: Fregatmakreel. New Zealand: Frigate tuna. Nicaragua: Melva. Norway: Auxid. Oman: Deraiga, Sadah, Tibban. Papua New Guinea: Frigate mackerel, Frigate tuna. Peru: Barrileto negro. Philippines: Aloy, Budburon, Buroboto, Ehalason, Frigate tuna, Ilahason, Kantorayan, Mangko, Mangkoh, Perit, Pidlayan, Pirit, Super Aloy, Tangi, Tolingan, Tulingan, Tulingan lapad, Vahuyo. Poland: Tazar. Portugal: Judeu, Judeu-liso e judeu. Romania: Melva, Ton negru. Sao Tome Prn: Fulu fulu. Somalia: Jaydar-dhiiglow. Spain: Melva. St Helena: Mackerel tuna. Sweden: Auxid. Tanzania: Sehewa. Trinidad Tobago: Bonito. Turkey: Gobene, Tombile. United Arabian Emirates: Tabban United Kingdom: Frigate tuna. United States of America: Bullet mackerel, Frigate mackerel, Frigate tuna. Venezuela: Cabaña negra. Vietnam: Cá Ngùr chù, Frigate mackerel.

2. Identification

Figure 1. Drawing of an adult Auxis thazard (by A. López, ‘Tokio’).

218 2.1.10.3 FRI

Characteristics of Auxis thazard (see Figure 1 and Figure 2)

Frigate tuna is a small tuna species. Maximum size is 65 cm (Cayré et al. 1993). Common size is 25 to 40 cm depending on fishing gear, seasonally and region (Collete and Nauen 1983; Collete 1986).

Colour:

• Colour bluish on dorsal parts turning to deep purple or almost black on the head. • Pattern of 15 or more dark bars or wavy lines, oblique to nearly horizontal, in the scaleless area above lateral line. • White belly without stripes or spots. • Pectoral and pelvic fins are purple, with black inner sides.

External:

• Body robust elongate and rounded. • Body naked, except for the corselet which is well developed. Corselet narrow in its posterior part (no more than 5 scales wide under second dorsal fin origin). • Strong median keel on each side of caudal peduncle, between two smaller keels. • Two dorsal fins separated by a large interspace (at least equal to length of first dorsal fin base). Second dorsal lower than first, followed by 8 finlets. • Anal fin followed by 7 finlets. • Short pectoral fin but extending posterior to beginning scaleless area above corselet. Pectoral rays: 22- 25. • Dorsal spines: 10-12. • Gillrakers on first arch: 38-47. • Inter-pelvic process single and very large, equal to length of pelvic fins.

Internal:

• Swimbladder absent. • Right lobe of liver very long, extending the length of the body cavity and left lobe greatly reduced. • Vertebrae: 39. • Cutaneus artery present but divided into separate dorsal and ventral branches. The ventral branch is very poorly developed.

Pattern of 15 or more dark bars or wavy lines, oblique to nearly horizontal, in the scaleless area above lateral line

Short pectoral fin but extending Strong median keel on each posterior to beginning scaleless side of caudal peduncle, area above corselet. Pectoral rays: between two smaller keels 22-25

Figure 2. Synthesis of the most outstanding characteristics of Auxis thazard (by A. López, ‘Tokio’).

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3. Distribution and population ecology

3.a Geographical distribution

The genus Auxis is distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters. The confusion surrounding the identification of the species of Auxis is reflected in their reported distribution in the world’s oceans. Auxis is distributed in both sides of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico (Figure 3). Latitudinal range reported for genus in Atlantic is from 45ºN to 35ºS.

In the eastern Atlantic is reported as far north as Norway and as far south as South Africa waters. In the western Atlantic off the east coast of North America has been recorded from Gulf of Maine, (Cape Cod). Off the Atlantic coast of South America the species is recorded to Mar del Plata (Argentina).

Figure 3. Geographical distribution of Auxis sp. (FAO. c2001-2009. Compilation of aquatic species distribution maps of interest to fisheries. In FAO Fisheries Department [online]. Rome. [15 sept. 2009]. http://www.fao.org/fishery/collection/fish_dist_map).

3.b Habitat preferences

Frigate tuna is an epipelagic and neritic fish as well as oceanic occurring in warm waters. Larvae have a high temperature tolerance of at least 21.6 to 30.5ºC, (the widest among tuna species studied), their optimum is 27- 27.9ºC.

The species has a strong schooling behaviour.

3.c Migrations

Little is known about frigate tuna movements. Less migratory than other tuna species.

3.d Recruitment

Knowledge of the early life stages in tunas is very scarce. It is assumed that larval period is short. During the first life stages frigate tuna are not caught and juvenile life history is unknown. Immature fish first appear in fishery from around 25 cm of fork length.

220 2.1.10.3 FRI

4. Biology

4.a Growth

Most of the studies on growth of Auxis species in Atlantic regards to Auxis rochei. Data of Auxis thazard from Gibraltar Straits area published by Rodriguez-Roda (1966) were later attributed to Auxis rochei for the same author (Rodriguez-Roda 1983).

Table 1. Growth parameters for frigate tuna (L’ in cm, K in y-1, t0 in y).

Growth Parameter Area Reference NMethod L ’ k t0 51.47 0.32 -0.83 Eastern Central Atlantic Grudtsev and Korolevich, 1986. 237 Spines 51.5 1 - West Java, Indonesia Dwiponggo et al., 1986

4.b Length-Weight relationship

Most of the studies on length-weight relationships of Auxis species in Atlantic regards to Auxis rochei. Data of Auxis thazard from Gibraltar Straits area published by Rodriguez-Roda (1966) were latter attributed to Auxis rochei for the same author (Rodriguez-Roda, 1983). Probably, the relationship for A. thazard published by Ramos et al. (1985) refers also to A. rochei.

Table 2. Published frigate tuna length-weight relationships.

Equation N Area Country Reference W= 0.00166 x FL 3.64257 515 Gibraltar Strait Spain Ramos et al., 1985

W= 0.0547x FL 2.7 - South Africa van der Elst, 1981 3.13 W= 0.01x FL - Southwestern Brazil Brazil Madureira and Rossi-Wongtschowski, 2005 W= 0.0061x FL 3.3 - Mikomoto Japan Ishida, 1971 W= 0.077 x FL 2.509 - Shionomisaki Japan Ishida, 1971 W= 0.0018x FL 3.334 - Sri Lanka Sivasubramaniam, 1966

4.c Reproduction

Most of the studies on reproduction of Auxis species in Atlantic regards to Auxis rochei. Some information for other oceans are included below.

Spawning

The species has an extended spawning period from February to November depending on the geographical area in North Atlantic. In tropical African coasts the spawning occurs from April to September off Sierra Leone, in summer in the gulf of Guinea, November and December off Congo and Angola (Rudomiotkina 1984). Spawning is recorded at the surface water temperatures of 21.6-30.5º, with massive spawning at 25-26º.

Maturity

Sexual maturity is reached at about 29 cm fork length in Japanese waters and 35 c around Hawai (Collette and Nauen 1983).

Fecundity

Fecundity was estimated at about 1.37 million eggs per year in a 44.2 cm female. Fecundity of fish in Indian waters ranged between approximately 200,000 to 1.06 million eggs per spawning in correlation with the size of females (Collette and Nauen 1983).

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4.d First life stages

Eggs and larvae

Eggs are pelagic, 0.84-0.92 mm of diameter and with one oil globule (0.24-0.29 mm of diameter). The yolk is homogeneus. The hatch size is 2.32 mm. The embryo presents melanophores and large green chromatophores on posterior half. Larvae present pigmentation on midbrain, hindbrain, gut, cleithral symphysis dorsal, lateral and ventral margins of tail (Richards 2005).

4.e Diet

Food is primarily selected by the size of gillrakers. The species feeds on fish, crustaceans, cephalopods and others. Fish prey largely of small pelagic fishes, particularly anchovies and other clupeoids (Etchevers 1957). Crustaceans are especially planktonic crustaceans as megalops and stomatopods larvae.

Predators: several tuna species, pelagic sharks, billfishes and big pelagic fish (Coryphaena hippurus, Alepisaurus sp, Sphyraena sp.). Because of its abundance, they are considered an important element of the food chain, being a forage prey for other commercial species (Olson 1982).

4.f Physiology

There is a lack on information on this topic.

4.g Behaviour

Little is known about little tuna behaviour patterns.

4.h Natural mortality

There is a lack on information available on this biological parameter.

5. Fisheries biology

5.a Populations/Stock structure

There is little information available to determine the stock structure of frigate tuna. Current information does not allow for an evaluation of stock status.

5.b Description of fisheries: catches and effort

Frigate tuna is exploited mainly by surface gears and artisanal fisheries as trolling lines, handlines, small-scale longlines, and a wide variety of nets, especially traps, gill or drift nets, ring nets, beach seines, otter trawls, and purse seines. In some of these fisheries, Auxis species are taken incidentally as by-catch as in purse seine fisheries for yellowfin and skipjack tuna.

In the Atlantic, catches of Auxis species are usually not identified to species. Thus in the total catch of frigate tuna, the proportion of each of the two species is not known. However, almost the entire Venezuela, Atlantic and Mediterranean catch is supposedly Auxis rochei (Collette and Nauen 1983).

Annual catches reach 25,903 t in 1988 (Figure 4). Average estimated landings from 1980 to 2004 is 16,649 t. Unknown quantities of bullet tuna are landing and recorded as frigate tuna in the Atlantic (ICCAT 2006).

222 2.1.10.3 FRI

30000

25000

20000

15000

10000 5000

0 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Year FRI_Med FRI_Atl FRI_Total

Figure 4. Catch (t) distribution of frigate tuna in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, 1980-2004.

6. Bibliography

CAYRÉ, P., J. B. Amon Kothias, T. Diouf and J. M. Stretta, 1993 Biology of tuna. p. 147-244. In A. Fonteneau and J. Marcille (eds.) Resources, fishing and biology of the tropical tunas of the Eastern Central Atlantic. FAO Fish. Tech. Pap. 292. Rome, FAO. 354 p. COLLETE, B. B., 1986. Scombridae. In: P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen, and E. Tortonese (eds.), Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranea. Vol II. pp. 981-997. Unesco, Paris. COLLETTE, B. B. and C. E. Nauen, 1983. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of tunas, mackerels, bonitos and related species known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(2). 137 pp. DWIPONGGO, A., T. Hariati, S. Banon, M. L. Palomares and D. Pauly, 1986. Growth, mortality and recruitment of commercially important fishes and penaeid shrimps in Indonesian waters. ICLARM Tech. Rep. 17, 91 p. ETCHEVERS, S. L., 1976. Incidencia de clupeoideos en la alimentacion de las caballas: Euthynnus alletteratus (Rafinesque 1976) y Auxis thazard (Lacepède) en la costa noreste de Margarita. Lagena, (37-38):9-11. GRUDTSEV M. E. and L. I. Korolevich, 1986. Studies of frigate tuna Auxis thazard (Lacepede) age and growth in the eastern part of the Equatorial Atlantic. Col. Vol. Sci. Pap. ICCAT, 25(2): 269-274. ICCAT. 2006. Report for biennial period, 2004-05 Part II (2005) - Vol. 2, Executive Summaries on Species: Small Tunas: 128-135. ISHIDA, Y. 1971. Investigation of frigate mackerel (Auxis rochei), 1968 season. (In Jap.) Rep. Kochi Pref. Fish. Expo. Stn 66 and 67: 119-140. MADUREIRA, L. S. P. and C. L. D. B. Rossi-Wongtschowski (Editors), 2005. Prospecção de recursos pesqueiros pelágicos na Zona Econômica Exclusiva da Região Sudeste-Sul do Brasil: hidroacústica e biomassas. Série documentos Revizee: Score Sul, Instituto Oceanográfico, USP, São Paulo, Brazil. 144 p. OLSON, R. J. 1982. Feeding and energetics studies of yellowfin tuna; food for ecological thought. Col. Vol. Sci. Pap. ICCAT, 17:444-57. RAMOS, A., A lot, E., and J. A. Camiñas, 1985. Relación talla/peso de la melva, Auxis thazard, para el Atlántico y Mediterráneo. Collect. Vol. Sci. Pap. ICCAT, 25: 265-268 (1986). RICHARDS, W.J., (ed.). 2005. Early Stages of Atlantic Fishes: An identification guide for the western central North Atlantic. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL, 2640 pp. RODRÍGUEZ-RODA, J. 1966. Estudio de la bacoreta, Euthynnus alletteratus (Raf.), bonito, Sarda sarda (Bloch) y melva Auxis thazard (Lac.), capturados por las almadrabas españolas. Invest. Pesq. 30: 247-292. RODRIGUEZ-RODA J. 1983. Edad y crecimiento de la melva, Auxis rochei (Risso), del Sur de España. Invest. Pesq. (Barc.), 47(3): 397-402.

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RUDOMIOTKINA, G. P. 1984. New data on reproduction of Auxis spp. In the Gulf of Guinea. Collect. Vol. Sci. Pap. ICCAT, 20(2): 465-468. SIVASUBRAMANIAM, K. 1966. Distribution and length-weight relationships of tunas and tuna-like fishes around Ceylon. Bull. Fish. Res. Stn. Ceylon, 19:27-46. VAN DER ELST, R. 1981. A guide to the common sea fishes of southern Africa. C. Struik, Cape Town. 367 p.

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