Albacore
Albacore | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Scombriformes |
Family: | Scombridae |
Genus: | Thunnus |
Subgenus: | Thunnus |
Species: | T. alalunga
|
Binomial name | |
Thunnus alalunga (Bonnaterre, 1788)
| |
Synonyms[2][3][4] | |
|
The albacore (Thunnus alalunga), known also as the longfin tuna, is a species of
Albacore are
The albacore is a very economically important fish and is a target of
Taxonomy and phylogeny
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Phylogenetic tree of genus Thunnus with yellowfin group in green.[6][7] |
The first
Description
The albacore has a streamlined, fusiform body with a conical snout, large mouth, and big eyes. Its body is dark blue dorsally, shades of silvery white ventrally, and covered by small scales.
Distribution and habitat
The albacore has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and temperate waters across the globe and in every ocean as well as the Mediterranean Sea.[citation needed]
Its latitudinal range extends from 59°N to 46°S. Its temperature range is 10–25 °C (50–77 °F).[4] Its depth range is 0–600 m (0–1,969 ft; 0–328 fathoms) in the epipelagic and mesopelagic zones. It is most often found in surface waters 15.6–19.4 °C (60.1–66.9 °F) in temperature, though larger individuals can be found in deeper waters 13.5–25.2 °C (56.3–77.4 °F). It can survive at temperatures as low as 9.5 °C (49.1 °F) for short periods of time. It favors areas where warm and cool water mix.[4]
Migration
A highly migratory species, schools of albacore travel great distances, though Atlantic and Pacific populations do not appear to mix.[9] North Pacific albacore migrate to two regions of the Northeast Pacific: one off the northern part of Baja California, Mexico, and the other off the coasts of Washington and Oregon.[12] Every summer, North Atlantic albacore head to the Bay of Biscay off of France and Spain, but now arrive about 8 days earlier than they did 40 years ago.[13]
Since the 1970s the
Biology and ecology
The albacore is a powerful, hard-hitting predator[4] that forms mixed schools with skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, and bluefin tuna, sometimes around floating objects like sargassum weeds.[3][9] Schools of albacore are highly migratory within bodies of water and segregated by maturity, with older fish tending to form more compact groups. Of those caught by humans, immature albacore have a 1:1 sex ratio while older albacore are mostly male. In the Atlantic Ocean, older fish are found in cooler waters. The opposite is true for the Pacific Ocean, where fish are found more abundantly along thermal discontinuities. Depth range also varies by location: Atlantic fish dive as deep as 600 m (2,000 ft) where Pacific fish reach only 380 m (1,250 ft) in depth.[9] In the northeast Atlantic, feeding migrations to productive areas occur during the summer. Due to climate changes over the last 40 years, the timing and spatial distribution of the albacore have also changed.[13]
Albacore show a broad range of behavioral differences by region. In Baja California, albacore make frequent dives to depths exceeding 200 m (660 ft) during the day and stay near the surface at night, while off the coast of Washington and Oregon they stay near the surface the entire day.[12] Albacore never really rest; their need for oxygen means they must always be on the move.[13]
Feeding
Albacore tuna are pelagic predators - open-sea hunters. Their diets vary very little from season to season. Unlike other tuna that eat primarily fish, for example the bigeye and yellowfin tuna, the albacore's main source of food is cephalopods. The most abundant cephalopod in its diet is Heteroteuthis dispar, a tiny deep-water squid found in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Another cephalopod species preyed upon is Berryteuthis anonychus.[16] Other food sources of the albacore include fish (including Cololabis saira, Engraulis japonicus, and Engraulis mordax), crustaceans, and gelatinous organisms.[17][16] Not much is known about the food pattern of the albacore, however, mostly because it dives over 400 m (1,300 ft) underwater when searching for food, and tagging and tracking has been unsuccessful thus far.[17][18]
Life history
The albacore's reproduction is
A large majority of albacore have larger right testes or ovaries, depending on sex. Albacore have asynchronous
Human interaction
Commercial fishery
Albacore is a prized food, and the albacore
The harvest of albacore tuna for commercial use began at the start of the 20th century. The migratory patterns of the fish brought droves of albacore schools near the coastline of southern California, which sparked the start of commercial albacore fishing. In 1903, 700 cases of albacore were used as an experimental pack which ultimately led to the development of the U.S. tuna-canning industry. The experiment was a huge success, and the commercial fishery expanded rapidly due to the high level of demand for canned tuna. By the 1920s, the industry expanded further and three other species of tuna, bluefin, yellowfin, and skipjack, were also being canned. Albacore tuna is the only species that can be marketed as "white meat tuna". The canning industry uses this label as a way to differentiate canned albacore from other types of tuna.[21]
From 2010 to 2013, a study by Oceana, an ocean preservation organization, tested over 114 samples of tuna, and found that 84% of the white tuna samples were actually escolar.[22]
Many
Recreational fishery
Albacore are sought after by
Conservation
Fisheries management
Albacore are managed by four tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO's): the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).[27] ICCAT has established catch quotas in the North and South Atlantic.
There are six globally managed stocks of albacore worldwide, one in the North Pacific, one in the South Pacific, another in the Indian Ocean, two for the North and South Atlantic, and one in the Mediterranean Sea.
There is substantial uncertainty on current stock status, since different models and assumptions provide a wide range of estimates. However, most of them agreed on the view that spawning stock biomass decreased since the 1930s and started to recover since the mid-1990s. Most of the model formulations, as well as the base case, concluded that currently the stock is not undergoing overfishing but the spawning stock biomass is overfished.[3][28] IOTC judges albacore in the Indian Ocean are not overfished, but maintaining or increasing effort in the core albacore fishing grounds is likely to result in further declines in albacore biomass.[29] All of the tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations noted that there is uncertainty surrounding the life history and biology of tunas and tuna like species including age and growth, maturity, and natural mortality rates; uncertainty about the quality and completeness of available data; and uncertainty about recruitment.
The WCPFC has assessed the South Pacific Albacore are not overfished.[30]
In the 2014 assessment, the Albacore Working Group of the International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in North Pacific Ocean found estimates of total stock biomass (age-1 and older) show a long-term decline from the early 1970s to 1990 followed by a recovery through the 1990s and subsequent fluctuations without trend in the 2000s. The working group concludes that the stock is likely not in an overfished condition at present.[31]
South Pacific albacore stocks have recently (2007 to 2015) shown a 40% reduction in stock.[32][33]
Population genomic research supports the distinction of separate North and South Pacific stocks, but results indicated that interbreeding occurs between these populations and some potential migrants were genetically identified.[15]
Other organizations
A number of programs have been developed to help consumers identify and support responsible and
SeaChoice ranks albacore as a "best choice" for consumers, although notes some "moderate concerns" regarding the management effectiveness (in particular, no definitive assessment of the albacore stock of the Indian Ocean fishery has taken place), and "moderate concern" over the fishing stock, especially regarding the North Atlantic albacore population, which the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) considers overfished with overfishing still occurring. In 2007, SeaChoice considered the southern Atlantic stock to be overfished but not currently experiencing overfishing. They regarded North Pacific albacore stocks as not overfished and not likely to be experiencing overfishing.[35]
Mercury levels
Like other fish, albacore accumulate
Cuisine
As with other tunas, albacore meat is a versatile ingredient that is used a wide variety of dishes.[38][39]
-
Lightly cooked albacore steak
-
Seared albacore in a salade niçoise
-
Albacore in a rice wrap
-
Canned albacore on sale at a supermarket
-
Bonito del Norte con piperrada, a Basque dish using albacore
Other species called albacore
In some parts of the world, other species may be called "albacore":
- Blackfin tuna Thunnus atlanticus (albacore)
- Yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares (albacore, autumn albacore, yellowfinned albacore)
- Yellowtail amberjack Seriola lalandi (albacore)
- KawakawaEuthynnus affinis (false albacore)
- Little tunny Euthynnus alletteratus (false albacore)
References
- . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Thunnus alalunga". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c d e f g h Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Thunnus alalunga" in FishBase. January 2017 version.
- ^ "Tuna species recovering despite growing pressures on marine life - IUCN Red List". 4 September 2021.
- PMID 15498947.
- PMID 20035845.
- S2CID 83913573.
- ^ ISBN 978-92-5-101381-6.
- ^ "Fishing & Shellfishing: Albacore Tuna". Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. Archived from the original on 2017-12-24. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
- ^ a b Ramon, Darlene; Bailey, Kevin (4 October 1996). "Spawning seasonality of albacore, Thunnus alalunga, in the South Pacific Ocean" (PDF). Fishery Bulletin. 94 (4): 725–733.
- ^ .
- ^ .
- ^ Southwest Fisheries Science Center. "Albacore Archival Tagging". swfsc.noaa.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Atministration. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ PMID 34025772.
- ^ a b "Thunnus alalunga (Ahi pahala)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ S2CID 84191172.
- S2CID 85625507.
- ^ "Albacore Tuna" Archived 2013-09-29 at the Wayback Machine This fish. ThisFish & Ecotrust Canada 25 Oct 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-12-350443-2.
- ^ von Borks, Manfred (June 2011). "Pacific Juvenile Albacore in the Ensenada/San Diego Area History, Biology, Lures, Tactics and Night Fishing" (Rev 6 Final ed.). Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
- ^ "National Seafood Fraud Testing Results Highlights" (PDF). Oceana Report. 2013-02-21. Retrieved 13 Feb 2022.
- S2CID 153708679.
- ^ "Recreational Albacore". Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- ^ "Current HMS SAFE Report: Recreational Fisheries Descriptions". Pacific Fishery Management Council. 18 January 2017. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- ^ Sheely, Terry W. (21 August 2020). "Albacore Tuna Fishing". www.saltwatersportsman.com. Saltwater Sportsman. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ Allen, Robin (2010). "International management of tuna fisheries Arrangements, challenges and a way forward" (PDF). 536 Fao Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper. 536. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- ^ "EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ALB" (PDF). www.iccat.int. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: ALBACORE" (PDF). www.iotc.org. Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "STOCK ASSESSMENT OF ALBACORE TUNA IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN" (PDF). WCPFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
- ^ "STOCK ASSESSMENT OF ALBACORE TUNA IN THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN IN 2014" (PDF). isc.ac.affrc.go.jp/index.html. International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Alarming population crash in southern albacore tuna prompts catch rethink". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 2015-10-30. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
- ^ "Pacific nations agree to historic tuna fishery pact to protect local industries". ABC News. 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
- ^ Marine Stewardship Council. "List of all certified fisheries". MSC.org. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ "Tuna: Albacore". SeaChoice. Archived from the original on 2007-09-12. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
- ^ S2CID 45982962.
- ^ "NOAA - FishWatch" (PDF). noaa.gov.
- ^ Pacific Fisherman. Miller Freeman Publications. 1962. p. 31. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-55832-307-0. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
External links
- Marine Stewardship Council (international independent certification of sustainable fisheries)
- American Albacore Fishing Association (MSC certified Pacific U.S. "pole & troll" albacore)
- Wild Pacific Albacore
- NOAA Fishwatch
- American Fishermens Research Foundation
- Western Fishboat Owners Association
- albatuna.com
- Etymology of "albacore"
- Communicating FDA advice on consumption of albacore tuna.[permanent dead link]
- Albacore by R. Michael Laurs and Ronald C. Dotson, 1992
- "Albacore Tuna - Species". WWF.