In June 2024, our project on the conservation genomics of the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) started. Our primary goal is to explore the human-driven evolution of such species from a long-timescale dataset (up to 3000 BC) to better define the current health state of the stock. We will provide stakeholders and policymakers with information to support sustainable conservation strategies. This project, granted by BGE-ERGA, will be led by Piergiorgio Massa and Alessia Cariani, from the University of Bologna (Italy). Piergiorgio will be supported by a team of 7 researchers from Italy (University of Bologna and Marche Polytechnic University) and Norway (Norwegian Institute for Water Research and Norwegian University of Life Sciences) who have extensive expertise in these areas.
Tuna have been exploited as a source of food for human populations for centuries. This new project will investigate the “genomic past” of tuna populations to better assess the current health of the stock.
Our team member Adam Jon Andrews generated a low-coverage whole-genome dataset including tuna samples as old as 3000 BC. He has already found evidence of a decline in tuna populations caused by human activity since 1800. We expect this decline to leave selection footprints on the species’ genome. Hence, our research activities include increasing the sequencing depth of those samples to enable our planned genomic analyses. With this work, we’d like to showcase the importance of ancient DNA in conservation genomics studies, since it can provide a picture of the natural unimpacted state and improve estimates of impact time.
Ancient tuna vertebrate used as the source material to obtain DNA. Investigating the genetic diversity of ancient populations can be very informative to conservation studies, since it can provide a picture of the natural unimpacted state. Photo by Fausto Tinti from the University of Bologna.
Our project is a step forward in achieving the aim of the current UN Ocean Decade to “protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity” by filling the gap caused by a lack of historical knowledge of how human exploitation has impacted the oceans and therefore what species should be restored. I am thankful for each member of the research team's dedication and expertise in supporting me in this ambitious project. I would also like to thank BGE-ERGA for providing a collaborative platform that made this research possible, for funding our project, and for helping us manage the project. This project receives funding from the European Union under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, co-funded by the Swiss Government and the British Government.
About the Author
Piergiorgio Massa is a PhD student from the University of Bologna (Italy), he is part of the ERGA Italy and participates in the ERGA Data Analysis Committee.
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