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STATUS REPORT: SOUTH PACIFIC ALBACORE 



by 



Jerry A. Wetherall 



Southwest Fisheries Center 

 Honolulu, Hawaii 



ABSTRACT 



The South Pacific albacore stock has been fished since 1952. Most of 

 the catch is taken by longline vessels from Japan, the Republic of Korea, 

 and Taiwan. Longline catch-per-unit-effort declined considerably between 

 1962 and 1974 as effort and catch increased. However, catch rates 

 increased in recent years so that average annual catch has increased 

 recently in spite of lowered effort. Present average annual catch by 

 longliners is in the neighborhood of the estimated MSY for this fishery, 

 35,000 mt, and no sustained increase in longline catch can be expected. 

 Potentials for expanding the surface catch of relatively small albacore are 

 unknown. 



