192 



Fish Stories 



Still bigger are the albacores, chunky mackerels, with 

 the pectoral fin very long, like a ribbon. Commonest of 

 these is the long-finned tuna, which is the albacore of the 

 California coast. The yellowfin tuna is a Japanese species- 

 which is taken at Hawaii and at intervals at Santa 

 Catalina, where Dr. Holder was first to discover it. In this 

 species the finlets on the back are all lemon-yellow. Finally, 

 king of all mackerels, is the great leaping tuna or tunny, all 

 these names from the same Greek word as our ton. A ton 

 of fish, and to the angler a ton of the greatest sport. The 

 tuna is found in Southern Europe, occasionally on our 

 Atlantic coast, and persistently about Santa Catalina Island 

 where the Tuna Club has its center of operations. 



Other tunnies exist in other regions. Australia has a 

 splendid species, but the tuna of California stands_at the 

 head, the swiftest and stJongest-of all creatures sought by 

 the angler. ^- 



^-^Thelong-finned tuna or albacore is short and plump, like 

 a fat pig, and distinguished from all others by its long and 

 slender pectoral fins, which extend backward along its sides 

 like stiff ribbons. It reaches a length of two or three feet, 

 and a weight of from twelve, to seventy poundsT Its flesh is 

 very red, like the flesh of beef, and very oily, so that, while 

 its flavor is fairly agreeable, one does not care to eat much 

 of it. 



It comes to the Southern California islands in great schools 

 in the spring. Where it comes from no one knows, nor do 

 we know where it breeds. The young are never seen in 

 California, all that we know being full grown. It comes 

 at the same time with flying fishes, and perhaps to feed on 

 them, for it is an eager fish and voracious. Its teeth are 

 small, but its mouth opens wide, and in its maw is found a 

 variety of other fishes which it has swallowed. 



I once opened an albacore's stomach at Santa Barbara. 

 Inside of it I found a whole hake, a fish which lives at a 

 considerable depth. Inside the hake, which was fresh, I 



