Albacore
Thunnus alalunga
In-depth Information Regarding this Species
| U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean |
Alaska to Mexico (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983, Love 1996) |
| Habitat |
Open ocean (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Behavior |
Migratory (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983, Love 1996) |
| General Temperature Range (°C) |
15–20 (Love 1996) |
| Average Maximum Overall Length (cm) |
137.2 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983, Love 1996) |
| Average Maximum weight (kg) |
43 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983, Love 1996) |
| Overall Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years) |
61.0/2
91.4/5 (Love 1996) |
| Overall Maximum Age (years) |
10+ (Love 1996) |
| Overall Age at Maturity (years) |
5 (begin maturing) (Love 1996) |
| Overall Length at Maturity (cm) |
85.3–100.6 (begin maturing) (Love 1996) |
| Fecundity |
800,000–2,600,000 (Love 1996) |
| Spawning Habitat |
Spawn between the Philippines and Hawaii (Love 1996) |
| Number of Spawns per season |
1 (Love 1996) |
| Adult Food Preference |
Feed during day and night
Fish, Krill, Squid (Love 1996) |
| Commercial Fishery |
"Very important" (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Market |
"white meat" tuna earns more money per can (Love 1996) |
| Sold Fresh or Frozen |
Fresh (Love 1996) |
| Style Species is Sold |
Steak
Fillet
Smoked (sometimes) (Love 1996) |
| Shelf-life in Fresh State (days at 40°F) |
7–10 (Love 1996) |
| Shelf-life in Frozen State (months at 0°F) |
6–9 (Love 1996) |
| Additional Remarks |
Occasionally, scombroid poisoning from this species (Love 1996) |
Recent Wild Harvest Data for Oregon
Data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
|
Year
|
Total Catch
(Pounds)
|
Ex-vessel Value
( U.S. Dollars)
|
|
1989
|
1,079,657
|
887,241
|
|
1990
|
2,079,312
|
166,9613
|
|
1991
|
1,258,818
|
975,651
|
|
1992
|
3,895,618
|
3,968,744
|
|
1993
|
4,754,450
|
3,881,329
|
|
1994
|
4,698,223
|
3,749,692
|
|
1995
|
5,033,810
|
3,749,889
|
|
1996
|
8,948,355
|
7,429,611
|
|
1997
|
9,167,738
|
6,541,647
|
|
1998
|
10,600,614
|
6,236,990
|
© 2003 Stephen Sempier
