The Early-life History Group is one of the two groups under the Biology Program is designed to increase the available knowledge of the life-history and behavior of tunas, tuna like-species, and other associated species in the EPO. The other group under the program is the Life-History and Behavior Group.

The research of the Early Life-History Group is mainly conducted at the Achotines Laboratory and includes the following activities (described in detail in Document SAC-11-14):

1. Field and laboratory experiments to investigate the key environmental and biological factors of the early life history of the tuna that affect the recruitment of young fish to the exploitable population.
2. Develop tools to forecast recruitment of young tuna to the exploitable population.

• Scientific research
   

• Stock assessment
  Details
• Ecosystem & Bycatch
   Details
• Biology
   Details
  • Early-life History
     
  • Life-History & Behavior
    Details
  • Achotines Lab., Panama
     
• Data Collection & Database
  Details
  • Database
     
  • IT support
     

G.1.a	Studies of pre-recruit survival and growth of yellowfin tuna, including expanding studies of early-juvenile life stages		Jan 2018-Dec 2023
G.2.a	Develop comparative models of pre-recruit survival and reproductive patterns of Pacific tunas		Jun 2018-Dec 2023
G.3.a	Develop a larval growth index to forecast yellowfin recruitment		Jun 2018-Jun 2024
M.1.a	Evaluate the effect of the depth of non-entangling FADs on catches of tunas and bycatches of other species in the purse-seine fishery	Completed	Jan 2015-Dec 2018
M.1.c	Acoustic discrimination to avoid purse seine catches of undersized yellowfin tuna		Jan 2020-Dec 2023
M.5.d	: Evaluation of new biodegradable materials in the tropical marine environment, for the construction of FADs		Jun 2024-Jul 2025
N.1.b	Investigate the effects of wind-induced microturbulence on yellowfin larval survival		Jun 2018-Dec 2021
N.2.a	Develop models of the effects of climate change on pre-recruit life stages of tropical tunas		Jan 2018-Dec 2022
Q.1.a	Achotines Laboratory support of Yale University’s Environmental Leadership Training Initiative (ELTI) in Panama		Apr 2018-Mar 2022
U.1.a	Long-term plan to strengthen research at the Achotines Laboratory		Jul 2021-Dec 2022

• Dimens, P.V., K.L. Jones, D. Margulies, V. Scholey, S. Cusatti, B. McPeak, T.E. Hildahl, and E.A.E. Saillant 2024. Genomic resources for the Yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares. Molecular Biology Reports 10.1007/s11033-023-09117-6
• Buchalla, Y., D. Margulies, S. Cusatti, E. Pereira, and V. Scholey 2024. Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and the Achotines Laboratory: four decades of continuous research on tropical tunas. World Aquaculture Society, World Aquaculture Magazine
• Heuer, R.M., Y. Wang, C. Pasparakis, W. Zhang, V. Scholey, D. Margulies and M. Grosell 2023. Effects of elevated CO2 on metabolic rate and nitrogenous waste handling in the early life stages of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111398
• Charles J. McGuigan, Yole Buchalla, Carlos E. Tudela, Sean Starkman, Daniel D. Benetti 2023. Using multi-model inference to determine the growth rates of red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, through ontogeny. Aquaculture Reports 10.1016/j.aqrep.2023.101681
• Wexler, J.B., D. Margulies, V. Scholey, C.E. Lennert-Cody, D. Bromhead, S. Nicol, S.D. Hoyle, M. Stein, J.E. Williamson, and J. Havenhand 2023. The effect of ocean acidification on otolith morphology in larvae of a tropical, epipelagic fish species, yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 10.1016/j.jembe.2023.151949
• Buchalla, Y., C.J. McGuigan, J.D. Stieglitz, R.H. Hoenig, C.E. Tudela, K.G. Darville, L. Ibara-Castro, and D. Benetti 2023. Advancements in hatchery production of red snapper Lutjanus campechanus: Exclusive use of small strain rotifers as initial prey for larval rearing. World Aquaculture Society 10.1111/jwas.12992
• Cusatti, S., D. Margulies, V. Scholey, Y. Sawada and Y. Agawa 2022. Spawning ecology of captive yellowfin tuna broodstock inferred by the use of mitochondrial DNA sequencing analysis. Aquaculture Science 10.11233/aquaculturesci.70.331.
• Tanaka, T., Honryo, T., Sawada, Y., Margulies, D., Scholey, V., Wexler, J., Stein, M., Biswas, A., Takii, K. 2022. Biochemical changes occurring in yellowfin tuna eggs during embryonic development. Fishes 10.3390/fishes7020062
• Nicol, S., P. Lehodey, I. Senina, D. Bromhead, A. Frommel, J. Hampton, J. Havenhand, D. Margulies, P. Munday, V. Scholey, J. Williamson, and N. Smith 2022. Ocean futures for the world’s largest yellowfin tuna population under the combined effects of ocean warming and acidification. Frontiers in Marine Science 10.3389/fmars.2022.816772
• Pasparakis, C., Y. Wang, R.M. Heuer, W. Zhang, J.D. Stieglitz, C.J. McGuigan, D.D. Benetti, V.P. Scholey, D. Margulies, and M. Grosell. 2021. Ultraviolet avoidance by embryonic buoyancy control in three species of marine fish. Science of the Total Environment 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150542