ABSTRACT 



Five cruises were completed by Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations during May-November, 

 1955, to investigate the albacore tuna, Germo alalanga (Bonnaterre), resources to the north and 

 northeast of the Hawaiian Islands, 



Albacore were scarce in these areas during the late spring and were abundant during the late 

 summer. The summer distribution was probably discontinuous from east to west with concentrations 

 in the central and eastern North Pacific sectors 2ind a lack of fish in between. During the fall alba- 

 core were relatively abundant in this intervening area suggesting that the discontinuity was either a 

 transient condition or had diminished somewhat with the change in season. 



Catches of surface-swimming albacore were associated with the Polar Front, a trainsition zone 

 between central and subarctic waters. Surface catches were also associated with a seasonal latitudinal 

 chcuige in surface temperature, particularly about the isotherms 55° to 65*F. 



Length frequencies of surface-caught albacore taken in the central and eastern sectors of the 

 North Pacific showed that the same size ranges were sampled on either side of the east-west discon- 

 tinuity noted above, 



A latitudinal shift in occurrence similar to that of the albacore was also displayed by other 

 fishes. 



