COMMON MARINE FISHES 



59 



ALBACORE 

 Thunnus germo 



Relationship: Belongs to the tuna family, Tbuunldae, as do the bluefin and 

 yellowfin tunas.* 



Distinguishing Characters: The seven or eight finlets following both the second 

 dorsal and anal fins ; the very long pectoral fins which extend beyond the front of the 

 ana] fin ; the round vent ; the back and lower edges of the preopercle meeting at an 

 angle ; the entire ventral surface of the liver striated with blood vessels. Said to reach a 

 weight of 80 pounds, though fish in the commercial catch usually weigh less than 40 

 pounds. The elongated pectoral differentiates the albacore from the bluefin and, gen- 

 erally, the yellowfin tuna. Further, the yellowfin has an oval vent and an unmarked 

 liver. Color: Dark steel blue above, silvery on the sides and underparts. 



Distribution: From Alaska to Central Lower California, and through the 

 temperate Pacific to Hawaii and Japan. A schooling fish. 



Fishing Season: Chiefly from July through September. 



Importance: Considered the best of the tunas for canning and the only one 

 which can be labeled "white meat tuna." The State's seventh fishery in volume and 

 fourth in value in 1946. Landed mostly at Los Angeles and San Diego. First in general 

 popularity among Southern California sportsmen and fourth in their total catch 

 (poundage) in 1946. 



Fishing Gear: Hook and line with live bait, feather jigs ; troll lines with feather 

 or bone lures. Most of the sport catch is taken with live bait. 



Unauthorized Name: Long-finned tuna. 



♦ The big-eye tuna, Paranthunnus mebachi, which is taken occasionally in the eastern Pacific, bears a super- 

 ficial resemblance to llie albacore. It ditteis in having an oval vent und faint marginal striations on the ventral sur- 

 face of the liver. 



