Target strength measurements of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and acoustic discrimination of three tropical tuna species

Abstract

Tropical tuna fisheries support some of the largest artisanal and industrial fisheries worldwide. Approximately 37\% of the tropical tuna catch by industrial purse seiners is obtained from tuna associated with drifting fish aggregating devices (DFADs), where three tuna species coexist: skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), bigeye (Thunnus obesus), and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), with stocks subject to different health status. Purse seine fishers heavily rely on acoustic technology to detect and assess the quantity of tuna at DFADs. Yet, accurately distinguishing between species using solely acoustic methods is limited by insufficient knowledge about each species' acoustic response across frequencies. This study was carried out on six swimbladdered individuals belonging to two sets with mean lengths of 51.9 +/- 9.5 and 52.9 +/- 2 cm. It focuses on the frequency response obtained from ex situ measurements of yellowfin tuna recorded at 38, 70, 120, and 200 kHz, which revealed a flat response across frequencies, with b20 values of -72.4 +/- 9, -73.2 +/- 8, -72.3 +/- 8, and -72.3 +/- 9 dB, respectively. These results, contrast with previous findings on bigeye and skipjack, demonstrating the discrimination potential of acoustics in these three species. To harness this potential, a discrimination algorithm was developed.