Aquaculture-related stressors induce cardiac morphological deviations and pathology in several farmed teleost species, such as Atlantic salmon, while cardiac responses to aquaculture conditions remain understudied in physiologically distinct Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT, Thunnus thynnus). This study provides the first quantitative assessment of the ABFT heart under intensive farming and differing thermal regimes. Cardiac morphology and structure were compared between wild and farmed ABFT juveniles and adults, captured or reared in Spain, by utilizing morphometrics and histological assessment. In line with previous research in salmonids, farmed ABFT exhibited distinct morphological and structural cardiac deviations compared to wild individuals across life stages. Aquaculture conditions caused ventricular remodeling, leading to less symmetrical ventricles with a misaligned bulbus arteriosus. Cardiac remodeling was further modulated by temperature. This study demonstrates that aquaculture regimes, primarily limited physical activity and exercise, and thermal regimes induce persistent morphological and structural cardiac deviations in ABFT. These findings establish a baseline to identify cardiac deviations, improve rearing protocols, mitigate unexplained farming mortalities and enhance animal welfare and sustainability in Atlantic bluefin tuna aquaculture.
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