The ocean conditions and their variability are known to affect the migration and distribution patterns of tuna species. In this work, the influence of the sea surface temperature (SST) in the migratory patterns of the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) was analysed through a combination of data from electronic satellite tags and satellite-derived environmental SST. These data were compared in order to identify the existence of thermal preferences in the displacements of the species. The study focused on the area of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cadiz, analysing separately the pre and post-spawning migrations, towards and off the Mediterranean Sea, respectively. The results from the qualitative analysis indicated that migratory patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna were not independent of the SST in their displacements between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean in both migrations, which was supported by the results of the quantitative comparison of the post-spawning migration tracks. These results suggest that the SST influences the migratory patterns of Atlantic bluefin tunas. Further analysis on higher resolution data could enlighten how the SST and other environmental variables affect the migratory patterns of ABFT in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cadiz, ecological and behavioural information with potential implications for the species’ management and conservation.
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