October 10, 2025 — Scientists are getting closer to understanding how Atlantic bluefin tuna spawn between the Gulf Stream and the continental shelf off New England, possibly a third important breeding area in addition to the Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean Sea.
The Slope Sea off the Northeast U.S. coast has been studied over the past decade in the belief it contributes to bluefin tuna stock mixing between the two long-known east and west breeding populations.
During summer 2025 scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center conducted two exploratory surveys to examine how bluefin tuna use this area for reproduction. A cooperative survey with commercial longline fishermen sought adult spawning tuna, and a second survey soon after sampled Northeast waters for bluefin tuna larvae.