Albacore Tuna
U.S. wild-caught North Atlantic or Pacific albacore tuna is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.
Appearance
- Albacore tuna have torpedo-shaped bodies, smooth skin, and streamlined fins.
- They are metallic, dark blue on the back with dusky to silvery white coloration along the sides of the belly.
- They have exceptionally long pectoral fins, which are at least half the length of their bodies.
- The edge of the tail fin is white.
Biology
- Albacore tuna grow fast at first but more slowly with age, up to almost 80 pounds and about 47 inches long.
- Similarly sized albacore travel together in schools that can be up to 19 miles wide.
- In the Atlantic, they live up to 13 years and are able to reproduce by age 5.
- In the spring and summer, albacore spawn in subtropical waters of the Atlantic and throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Depending on their size, females have between 2 million and 3 million eggs per spawning season.
- North Pacific albacore, particularly juveniles (2 to 4 years old), typically begin their expansive migration in the spring and early summer in waters off Japan. They move into inshore waters off the U.S. Pacific coast by late summer, then spend late fall and winter in the western Pacific Ocean. The timing and distance of their migrations in a given year depend on oceanic conditions.
- Less is known about the movements of albacore in the South Pacific Ocean – juveniles move southward from the tropics when they are about a foot long, and then eastward to about 130˚ West. When the fish are mature, they return to tropical and subtropical waters to spawn.
- They’re able to reproduce when they reach 5 to 6 years old, and they live for 10 to 12 years.
- North Pacific albacore spawn between March and July in tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific. Females broadcast their eggs near the surface, where they’re fertilized. Depending on their size, females release between 800,000 and 2.6 million eggs every time they spawn.
- Albacore can swim at speeds exceeding 50 miles per hour and cover vast areas during annual migrations.
- They have a highly evolved circulatory system that regulates their body temperature and increases muscle efficiency; a high metabolism; and high blood pressure, volume, and hemoglobin, all of which increase oxygen absorption.
- They lack the structures needed to pump oxygen-rich water over their gills so, in order to breathe, they must constantly swim with their mouths open.
- Albacore are top carnivores, preying on schooling stocks such as sardine, anchovy, and squid. They eat an enormous amount of food to fuel their high metabolism, sometimes consuming as much as 25 percent of their own weight every day.
- Larger species of billfish, tuna, and sharks eat albacore.
Where They Live
Range
- Albacore tuna live in tropical and warm temperate waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. In the Atlantic, they’re found from Nova Scotia to northern Argentina, and from Ireland to South Africa.
Habitat
- Albacore tuna are found in open waters of all tropical and temperate oceans.
- They are a highly migratory species, swimming long distances throughout the ocean.
- Temperature is a major factor in determining where Pacific albacore live.
- Juveniles are often found near oceanic fronts or temperate discontinuities.
- Adults are found in depths of at least 1,250 feet. They also explore deeper waters in search of prey.
Source: NOAA Fisheries