Pollensa. The north of the Balearic Islands has its own resident population of blue fin tuna, the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) said yesterday.
It has traditionally been thought that the Mediterranean didn't have its own colony of blue fin tuna, but rather that they came in from the Atlantic to breed in the warm waters of the Balearics, and left again.
But after three years of research which has involved tagging the tuna and tracking their movements, scientist Gemma Quilez said at a conference at the Port of Pollensa Sailing Club that there have been some surprising discoveries.
Judging from samples of larvae and eggs of the blue fin tuna, we already knew that the Balearics is one of the most important areas in the world for the reproduction of the species, she said. But it is not until now that findings show that there is a resident community in north Balearic waters. She explained that none of the tuna tracked during the project had left the Mediterranean.
The electronic tagging campaign in operation since 2008 and in which the Port of Pollensa Sailing Club has actively participated, has enabled the life cycle of the tuna to be monitored. Data collected allows scientists and government to take appropriate measures for their protection.
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