Bluefin tuna () larvae exploit rare food sources to break food limitations in their warm oligotrophic environment.

Tuna spawns in some of the warmest and most oligotrophic areas worldwide. At the same time, starvation is often considered the main source of mortality for fish larvae. Here we assess if plankton availability is sufficient to sustain the high growth potential of tuna () larvae in a major spawning ground in the warm oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea.