bliie and green waters. It was found that the fish at times apparently cross over 

 into the colder, bordering regions to feed. Results of bathythermograph recordings 

 revealed that generally albacore were not found to be concentrated in areas where 

 the warm surface water extended but a few feet below the surface. The average 

 depth of the themiocline in waters of productive fishing was 60 feet. Gill-net 

 catches indicated that the albacore usually stay within the upper region of the 

 warm surface layer. 



Stomach analysis showed that small rockfish made up a significant por- 

 tion of the diet of albacore, being present in 107 of 220 stomachs exairaned; 167 

 rockfish were taken from one albacore. Satiry and squid were also present in siz- 

 able quantities at times. Other food samples included euphausiids (red feed), 

 lantern fish, small black cod, a wolf eel, and miscellaneous items. 



Over four hundred albacore were tagged in an effort to gain knowledge 

 of their migration pattern. No returns have been received. In conjunction with 

 the tagging experiment, albacore were kept alive up to 19 hours in the bait tank 

 of the Cobb . 



While investigating a report of albacore on August 1, the Cobb dis- 

 covered an uncharted seamount with a peak 22-fathoms deep approximately 270 miles 

 west of Willapa Bay, Wash. Sets of ground long-line gear caught large numbers of 

 red snappers (Sebastodes ruberrimus ) averaging 15 pounds. Several other species 

 of fish were taken, including halibut and rock sole. Birds and other forms of 

 sea life were numerous in the area of the seamount, indicating conditions usually 

 considered favorable to a feeding area for pelagic fishes. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Anonymous . 



1940. 



"Albacore" (Presence of Natural Feed Limits Catches), 

 Fisherman Year Book, Seattle, p. 153. 



Pacific 



Brock, Vernon E. 



1944. Contribution to the Biology of the Albacore ( Genno alalunga ) off the 

 Oregon Coast and Other Parts of the North Pacific, Department 

 of Research, Fish Commission of the State of Oregon, Contribu- 

 tion No. 10, Salem. 



Clemens, W. A., and G. V. Wilby 



1946. Fishes of the Pacific Coast of Canada, Fisheries Research Board 

 of Canada, Bulletin LXVIII, Ottawa, p. 144. 



Ellson, J. G. 



1950. The Exploratory Fishing Vessel John N. Cobb . U. S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service, Fishery Leaflet 385, October, Washington, D. C. 



Gunther, E. R. 



1936. A Report on Oceanographical Investigations in the Peru Coastal 

 Current. Discovery Reports Vol. 13, pp. 173-175, 221-223. 



Hart, J. L. 



1949. The Lengths of Albacore in the Commercial Catch. Circular No. 17, 

 Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Pacific Biological Station, 

 May, Nanaimo, B. C, 



55 



