Common Name	Albacore Tuna	Conservation Notes
Scientific Name	Thunnus alalunga	Sustainability Information
Market Names	White tuna	Buying Tips
Sushi Name	Tombo	Health/Nutrition

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Albacore Tuna Market Alert - updated May 2011

The West Coast MSC-certified albacore troll-and-pole fishery should get underway in June, but that depends on how far offshore the migratory fish happen to be (in some years, boats may have to go as far as 1,000 miles offshore to find schools of young albacore).  As the summer progresses, the fish move father north and peak landings occur late in the summer.

Last year U.S. albacore boats landed almost 12,000 metric tons of fish, worth an average of $1.13/lb. at the dock. Just over half the fish were landed in Washington, followed by Oregon (40%) and California (6%). Since there is no quota, it’s hard to predict the catch, especially since this is a highly migratory fishery. Still, the high prices of the past few years should lead to a strong effort by fishermen, as demand for both canned albacore and frozen sashimi albacore is strong.

On the fresh front, supplies of the larger, red-meated longline “tombo” albacore from the South Pacific are picking up. Strong demand for canned fish the past few years has diverted much of the Fijian fish, the primary source of fresh imported tombo, to canneries. As a result, U.S. imports of fresh albacore from Fiji have fallen from an average of about 500 metric tons to less than 300 metric tons. So far this year, though, the fishing has been good and more Fijian fish has been shipped to the U.S. Through the first quarter of 2011, imports of fresh albacore from Fiji were up almost 50% to 150 metric tons. Tombo landings by the Hawaiian longline fleet should pick up later in the summer when schools migrate near the islands. Last year, Hawaiian boats caught about 450 metric tons of albacore, the best catch in five years.

Conservation Notes

Advantages: Albacore tuna are migratory and have a high reproductive rate. Populations in the Pacific are generally high, and overfishing is not occurring in the South Pacific. Most albacore tuna in the Pacific is caught commercially using troll and pole gear, which doesn’t damage the seafloor. Albacore is also caught using purse seine, drift gillnets, and longlines in the U.S. Pacific, although longline fishermen are required to use circle hooks to help accidental bycatch survive. U.S. longline fishermen must also attend bycatch handling workshops, and they are subject to bycatch monitoring. Several American and Canadian Albacore fisheries in the Pacific stretching from southern California to British Columbia were certified against the Marine Stewardship Council’s sustainability principles in 2007 and 2010. These fisheries employ troll, jig, and pole-and-line gear. The New Zealand albacore tuna troll, which operates off the western coasts of the North and South Islands, is currently in the MSC full assessment process.

Challenges: According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, albacore tuna populations in the North Atlantic are low and overfishing is occurring internationally. Albacore has experienced overfishing starting in the early 1980s, and the Blue Ocean Institute reports that target recovery levels are not expected to be reached by 2020. Data on albacore tuna in the Indian Ocean is incomplete, rendering the status of the population unknown. Albacore tuna catches have increased in the Mediterranean since 1995, but a thorough population assessment has yet to be completed. (A scientific assessment in the Mediterranean is scheduled for September 2011.) While fishing methods vary regionally, most albacore tuna is caught using longlines, which result in bycatch. The Blue Ocean Institute reports that longline hooks accidentally ensnare and kill endangered sea turtles and sharks, as well as different kinds of marine mammals, billfish, and seabirds.

Sustainability Information

	Seafood Watch	SeaChoice	FishWise	Blue Ocean Institute	New England Aquarium	Marine Stewardship Council
U.S. Pacific Troll & Pole-caught	Best Choice	Best Choice	Best Choice	Green		Certified*
British Columbia Troll & Pole-caught	Best Choice	Best Choice	Best Choice	Green		Certified*
International Pacific Troll & Pole-caught	Best Choice	Best Choice	Best Choice	Green
Indian Ocean Troll & Pole-caught	Good Alternative	Some Concerns	Good Alternative	Green
Hawaii Longline	Good Alternative	Some Concerns	Good Alternative	Yellow
International Longline	Avoid	Avoid	Avoid	Yellow
Atlantic Troll & Pole-caught	Avoid	Avoid	Avoid	Green

*There are four albacore tuna MSC-certified fishery clients with fish landed primarily from California to British Columbia.

Rating Explanation

Seafood Watch has several different assessments for albacore based on gear type and source region. Blue Ocean Institute's ratings for albacore are separate for pole and troll fisheries for the U.S. and international and has a single assessment for all longline albacore fisheries. There are four albacore fishery clients from California to British Columbia that are certified to the sustainability standard of the Marine Stewardship Council.

Buying Tips

• Albacore tuna has low sodium and is known to be a good source of vitamins A and B12, as well as selenium and niacin.
• Albacore is available canned and fresh and frozen whole fish, loins and steaks
• Depending on where it’s caught, albacore is light brown or pinkish red, and it’s the only canned tuna allowed to be marketed as “white” instead of “light."
• Imported canned albacore is usually cooked twice, while small canneries on the U.S. West Coast put raw pieces of the fish in cans and cook them once in their own juices.
• Off the West Coast, albacore boats either brine freeze or blast freeze their catch. Brine-frozen fish gets canned, while most blast-and-bled albacore goes to the sashimi market.
• Pole and troll-caught albacore is usually bled on landing, leaving flesh light in color; bloody flecks mean that the fish wasn’t bled.

Nutrition and Health

 * U.S. FDA advise children (0-12) limit one meal/month, men two meals/month, and women three meals/month.

Acknowledgements

• Seafood Watch by Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Blue Ocean Institute
• SeaChoice
• Seafood Choices Alliance
• Environmental Defense Fund
• NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service