A - December 10, 2020

ALBACORE

Scientific Name:

Thunnus alalunga

Fish Group:

Tuna

Salt/Fresh:

Salt

Also Known As:

Longfin Tuna; ALBACORE

Rating:

Countries:

Australia

New Zealand

United States

Description:

The albacore is a great fighting member of the Tuna Family.

How To Identify:

Albacore body is dark blue to almost black on the top and back progressing to a lighter blue on the flanks fading to whitish belly area. The pectoral fins of the albacore are very long, as much as 50% of the total length. The dorsal spines are 8 to 10 in number, and well forward of the rays of the dorsal fin. The anterior spines are much longer, giving a concave outline to the spiny part of the dorsal fin. Grows to about 27Kgs but the average size is about 5kgs.

How To Catch:

Will readily take small to medium sized lures, (particularly skirted lures), trolled around 5-7 knots. Live baits such as slimies or yakkas work well when combined with a burley trail of fish pieces. Will often find albacore feeding under diving birds although unlike other species of tuna, albacore don't normally break the surface.

Where Found:

Deep Water offshore, found in tropical and warm temperate seas, makes seasonal migrations to cooler waters such as New England in the USA, South Brazil, and northern gulf of Mexico. In Australia preferring cooler waters around the southern half of Australia.

ALBACORE

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