Commercial fishery in 1915 Albacore is a prized food, and the albacore
fishery is economically significant. Methods of fishing include
pole and line,
long-line fishing,
trolling, and some
purse seining. 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 to differentiate canned albacore from other types of tuna. 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. Many
Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs) heavily rely on oceanic fisheries for economic development and food security. The albacore is one of the main four species of tuna that support oceanic fisheries along with the skipjack, yellowfin, and the bigeye tunas. Domestic tuna fleets and local fish processing operations contribute from 3–20% of the gross domestic product in four PICTs. License fees from foreign ships provide an average of 3–40% of government revenue for seven different PICTs. Processing facilities and tuna fishing vessels provide more than 12,000 jobs for workers in the Pacific islands. Fish provide 50–90% of dietary animal protein in rural areas of PICTs.
Recreational fishery Albacore are sought after by
sport fishers. Since 2000, a large recreational fishery for albacore has been established in Oregon, Washington and California. The fisheries in Oregon and Washington are supported by seasonal warm water influxes from the
California Current with the season lasting from mid-July until October.
Conservation Fisheries management researchers talk to an albacore fisherman in
Newport 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). 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. 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. 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. 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. South Pacific albacore stocks have recently (2007 to 2015) shown a 40% reduction in stock.
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.
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.
Mercury levels Like other fish, albacore accumulate
methylmercury in body tissue over time. Methylmercury is removed from the human body naturally, but it may take over a year for the levels to drop significantly. Thus, it may remain in a woman from before she becomes pregnant. Ranging from as low as 0.027 ppm (parts per million) to 0.26 ppm, the average total mercury content of albacore is 0.14 ± 0.05 ppm. Larger fish tend to
bioaccumulate higher methylmercury levels. For the most part, there is positive correlation between an albacore's methylmercury measurement and its weight and length. Albacore caught by the American albacore fishing fleet off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California have far lower mercury levels than in previous years. Albacore caught in this region also show methylmercury levels well below the 1.0 ppm mercury standard set by The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ==Other species called albacore==