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Albacore
Thunnas alalunga Description:
Pectoral fin extremely long – extends well beyond
front of anal fin except in specimens under about 1 ft.
(30 cm). Usually 7-9 dorsal finlets, 7-8 anal finlets. Liver
striated on ventral surface. 25-31 gill rakers on 1st arch.
Dark blue above; shading to silvery white below. 1st dorsal
fin deep yellow, 2nd dorsal and anal fins light yellow.
Anal finlets dark. Caudal fin white-edged.
Size:
To 4 ½ feet (137 cm)
Range/Habitat:
Worldwide in temperate seas; rare in tropics; Alaska to
Revillagigedo Island (Mexico). Open seas and clear water;
seldom close to shore.
Source:
Pacific Coast Fishes
Houghton Mifflin Company
Eschmeyer, Herald, and Hammann 1983 |
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Albacore tuna (Thunnas alalunga) is one of the most
sought after fish around the world, both commercially and recreationally,
and are classified as a Highly
Migratory Species (HMS). In the United States they are managed federally
by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in cooperation with state
fish and wildlife agencies. To avoid overfishing albacore, NMFS and the
State Department work through international management forums to regulate
tuna fisheries. To help keep albacore from becoming overfished, NMFS must
work with international agencies in regulating or capping tuna catches
in the U.S. The
United States is a member of the Inter-American
Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) which is composed of 15 countries
who have banded together to make recommendations for the conservation
of tunas and other HMS.
Albacore
are found around the world in warm temperate waters and can migrate thousands
of miles each year. Albacore tuna can live up to 12 years and mature at
around five years. Spawning occurs in tropical and subtropical waters.
The female casts her eggs in open waters and then the male fertilizes
the eggs. It is thought that the developing tuna spend their first year
of life in the general area the female scattered the eggs and then they
move closer to shore, maybe off of Japan or other islands, where they
can spend time foraging. Juvenile albacore feed primarily on squid. As
an albacore ages it feeds less on squid and more on fish such as saury,
lanternfish, or rockfish. Albacore off Washington and Oregon feed primarily
on saury and northern anchovy.
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Saury |
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Through
tagging studies, albacore have been known to travel the 5,300 miles between
California and Japan in less than a year.
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Click
images for enlargement
Source:
Tuna and Billfish – fish without a country
La Jolla, California: Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. 1988.
Joseph, J., W. Klawe and P. Murphy. |
2006 Washington State
Recreational Albacore Fishery
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