obtained and reared in the same conditions. At 84 days post-hatching
(dph) a random sample of 2500 individuals, in which all origins were
represented, was taken to the on-growing facilities of the Centro de
Cultivos Marinos de la Región de Murcia. Fingerlings were individually
tagged in the abdominal cavity for individual identification and then
randomly distributed in 12 tanks and reared under communal conditions.
At 325 dph the majority of the fish (about 2000 specimens)
were moved to the facilities of the company Servicios Atuneros del
Mediterraneo S.L. (San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain) where they
were reared in a cage in the Mediterranean sea under intensive conditions.
At harvest size (690 dph), the fish were slaughtered and
transported to the laboratory for assays. Specimens were kept on ice
during the study at 4 °C refrigeration until the moment of their analyses.
The establishment of broodstocks, the conditions of spawn, the
rearing conditions and the slaughter process are explained in depth in