THUNNUS UK
The University of Exeter and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) embarked upon a multi-year scientific study between 2018 and 2023, called "THUNNUS UK", with support from the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), EU Interreg IV (FISH-INTEL) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. This project was in collaboration with the Tuna Research and Conservation Center of Stanford University, and was developed to provide robust a understanding of the ecology and distribution of Atlantic bluefin tuna that migrate to waters of southwest England.
THE ORGANISATIONS
THE ORGANISATIONS
The University of Exeter is a Russell Group university based in the south west of the United Kingdom that combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. Exeter has over 21,000 students and is in the top one per cent of universities worldwide.
Cefas is the UK’s largest and most diverse marine science organisation and is an Executive Agency of Defra. Cefas has been a world-leader in fish tracking and behaviour since the 1970s, beginning with acoustic tracking on European plaice in the North Sea, and continuing today with investigations into the UK and Atlantic migrations of many species, including species of commercial and conservation interest.
The Tuna Research and Conservation Center is a collaboration between Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station and The Monterey Bay Aquarium. The mission of the Tuna Research and Conservation Center (TRCC) is to advance the knowledge and understanding of tunas and other highly migratory marine fishes through research, education, and conservation. This mission is accomplished with a joint program that combines the resources and personnel dedicated to this goal from Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
FISH-INTEL
The University of Exeter was funded by the EU Interreg project FISH-INTEL (Fisheries Innovation for sustainable SHared INTEerchanneEL resources), which sought to enhance and protect coastal and transitional water ecosystems of the Channel. The projected aim to improve information of several important marine species (seabass, pollock, crawfish and bluefin tuna), and facilitate Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) to enhance the condition of these habitats. The project worked with multiple partners across the UK, France and Belgium and used innovative technology to establish pilot sites, build capacity, network across borders and provide evidence to support EBFM.