Lastly, there is a local race of albacore in the Mediterranean, the eggs and larvae of which 

 have been taken by Sanzo and Ehrenbaum in the Strait of Messina and near Cape Matapan. 

 Reproduction takes place in the southern Adriatic. After spawning, which lasts from July 

 to September, the albacore dash off to feed in the eastern Mediterranean — in the Archipelago 

 and the Black Sea. The albacore is of great economic importance. Prepared either in oil or 

 in the natural state, its firm, white flesh (white tuna meat) is one of the most valued products 

 in the world market. 



The yellowfin tuna of the Americans (really the true albacore) is often confused with the 

 albacore or germon through an ambiguous name given to it by Sloane in 1707. The two fishes 

 can be readily distinguished as the pectoral fins of the yellowfin are shorter than those of 

 the albacore, the lips not extending past the end of the first dorsal fin. Then again, the first 

 rays of the second dorsal fin are extremely high, being longer than the lobes of the tail. Hence 

 the Canary Island fishermen call them " ravil ". 



The biology of Thunnits argentiviitatus recalls that of the albacore, but it does not move 

 so far afield. Moreover, instead of being a tropical fish that moves towards temperate seas, 

 it is typically equatorial and in those waters it replaces the albacore. Its movements are more 

 restricted, since throughout its life it never leaves those waters having a salinity of 36 "/oo and 

 temperatures above 2()°C. In 1954 I tried to adduce precise evidence concerning the life of 

 the yellowfin tunny, but it is still poorly known. According to J. Cadenat. the fishes from 

 55 to 66 pounds reproduce in July and the spawning-ground is probably south of the Cape 

 Verde Islands. But large tunny of 180 to 220 pounds most likely spawn later, in winter, perhaps 

 in the Brazilian basin. Like the immature albacore, young yellowfins migrate northwards, 

 this journey beginning in June. They pass by Port Etienne and arrive at Cape Juby towards 

 September. Striped-bellied bonitos or skipjacks ( Kaisuwonus pelaniis) mix with the shoals 

 of yellowfin, the formation of the shoals seemingly being much more according to size than 

 species. During their journeys with the skipjack t.he immature fishes must sometimes depart 

 from stenohaline rules. But this departure must be rather slight, for they remain in waters 

 of 35.5 "/oo salinity. Adult fishes of 55 to 66 pounds also move around, but to a lesser degree, 

 as far as the Canaries. Fishes of 110 to 130 pounds do not appear to go beyond latitude 20° N. 

 (towards Port Etienne) while the large reproductive individuals are confined to water-layers 

 of 36.5 to 37 "/oo salinity around the equator. These migrations come to an end in January, 

 when all the yellow-finned tunny move down again towards the south to regain their spawning- 

 grounds. 



The Pacific yellowfin tunny has a similar biology, but lives in waters of 34.5 to 35.5 "/op 

 for this ocean has a lower salinity. The Japanese scientist Kishinouye (1923) and the American 

 ichthyologists, M. B. Schaetfer and J. E. Marr (1947) have recognised that the spawning periods 

 vary according to the age and size of the fishes. Adults of 27 to 31 inches spawn from April 

 to July, those from 31 to 39 inched from May to August and large reproductive individuals in 

 winter. Spawning centres have been discovered around the Marshall Islands, in the Celebes 

 Sea, around Hawaii, off Costa Rica and in the Galapagos area. Immature fishes, together 

 with bonitos, live in coastal waters for months on end. They grow rapidly, being about 2 inches 

 long after 1 year, nearly 2 feet after 2 years and 27 to 31 inches after 3 years, when they first 

 become sexually mature. Towards 4 or 5 years they are nearly 5 feet long. Yellowfin tunny 

 are found in the South Atlantic, off Angola and in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. 



Yellowfin tunny tlesh is pink (light-meat tuna) and is just as good as that of the albacore. 

 An enormous fishery for this tunny is carried out by American clippers which travel as far as 

 the Galapagos Islands, these being the fishes most used in the United States canneries. The 

 exploitation of the Atlantic yellowfin tunny has only just begun, but excellent products have 

 already been manufactured in Port Etienne. 



In the beautiful lines of their strong bodies, in the immense journeys they undertake 

 and by their rigid adherence to oceanic laws, tunny, in the splendour of their wandering life, 

 surpass all the dwellers of the open ocean. 



112 



