It is not only the dolphins that jump out of the water, but also the impressive, in every respect, tuna such as the bluefin tuna in the photo recorded today in the central Aegean Sea by the marine mammal researchers of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation.  

-The Mediterranean seas are an important breeding ground for the bluefin tuna, a species that migrates more than 8,000km/year to reach its main feeding grounds in the eastern Atlantic, from Norway to West Africa. 

-It is one of the most overfished fish species. Tuna stocks have declined dramatically even though each female tuna releases more than 10 million eggs/year into the sea. 

Let us also consider the multiple value of bluefin tuna to ecosystems, since most of their eggs are food for other species.  

-Their slow reproductive maturity (at 3-5 years), combined with the fact that they aggregate in large shoals to breed, makes the species’ populations particularly vulnerable to overfishing. 

-Bluefin tuna are over 3 m in length and 700 kg in weight. Its lifespan can be up to 40 years. It can dive to depths of 500-1000 metres and swim at speeds of up to 70 km/hour. 

-Bluefin tuna is a very important species for the Mediterranean, as it is a top predator that determines the balance of marine ecosystems.