Editing Albacore (section)

==Human interaction==
===Commercial fishery===
[[File:Thunnus alalunga Cyprus.jpg|thumb|Albacore caught off Cyprus]]
[[File:Appendix to the Journals of the Senate and Assembly of the session of the Legislature of the State of California (1915) (14594862967).jpg|thumb|Albacore being canned in [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]] in 1915]]
[[File:Albacore total production thousand tonnes 1950-2022.svg|thumb|Global capture production of Albacore (''Thunnus alalunga'') in thousand tonnes from 1950 to 2022, as reported by the [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fisheries and Aquaculture - Global Production |url=https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/collection/global_production?lang=en |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)}}</ref>]]
Albacore is a prized food, and the albacore [[fishery]] is economically significant. Methods of fishing include [[Angling|pole and line]], [[long-line fishing]], [[Troll (angling)|trolling]], and some [[Encircling net|purse seining]].

The harvest of albacore tuna for commercial use began at the start of the 20th century. The migratory patterns of the fish brought droves of albacore schools near the coastline of southern California, which sparked the start of commercial albacore fishing. In 1903, 700 cases of albacore were used as an experimental pack which ultimately led to the development of the U.S. tuna-canning industry. The experiment was a huge success, and the commercial fishery expanded rapidly due to the high level of demand for canned tuna. By the 1920s, the industry expanded further and three other species of tuna—bluefin, yellowfin, and skipjack—were also being canned. Albacore tuna is the only species that can be marketed as "white meat tuna". The canning industry uses this label to differentiate canned albacore from other types of tuna.<ref>{{cite web |last=von Borks |first=Manfred |title=Pacific Juvenile Albacore in the Ensenada/San Diego Area History, Biology, Lures, Tactics and Night Fishing |edition=Rev 6 Final |date=June 2011 |url=http://www.albacoretuna.org/|access-date=2013-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195026/http://www.albacoretuna.org/ |archive-date=2013-10-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

From 2010 to 2013, a study by [[Oceana (non-profit group)|Oceana]], an ocean preservation organization, tested over 114 samples of tuna, and found that 84% of the white tuna samples were actually [[escolar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/National_Seafood_Fraud_Testing_Results_FINAL.pdf|title=National Seafood Fraud Testing Results Highlights|date=2013-02-21|work=Oceana Report|access-date=13 Feb 2022}}</ref>

Many [[Pacific Islands|Pacific island]] countries and territories (PICTs) heavily rely on oceanic fisheries for economic development and food security. The albacore is one of the main four species of tuna that support oceanic fisheries along with the skipjack, yellowfin, and the bigeye tunas. Domestic tuna fleets and local fish processing operations contribute from 3–20% of the gross domestic product in four PICTs. License fees from foreign ships provide an average of 3–40% of government revenue for seven different PICTs. Processing facilities and tuna fishing vessels provide more than 12,000 jobs for workers in the Pacific islands. Fish provide 50–90% of dietary animal protein in rural areas of PICTs.<ref name=bell>{{cite journal |last1=Bell |first1=J. D. |last2=Reid |first2=C. |last3=Batty |first3=M. J. |last4=Lehodey |first4=P. |last5=Rodwell |first5=L. |last6=Hobday |first6=A. J. |last7=Johnson |first7=J. E. |last8=Demmke |first8=A. |doi=10.1007/s10584-012-0606-2 |title=Effects of climate change on oceanic fisheries in the tropical Pacific: Implications for economic development and food security |journal=Climatic Change |volume=119 |pages=199–212 |year=2012 |s2cid=153708679 }}</ref>

===Recreational fishery===
Albacore are sought after by [[Sport fishing|sport fishers]]. Since 2000, a large recreational fishery for albacore has been established in Oregon, Washington and California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dfw.state.or.us/mrp/sportalbacore/index.asp|title=Recreational Albacore|date=11 February 2019|website=Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife|language=en-us|access-date=22 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcouncil.org/highly-migratory-species/stock-assessment-and-fishery-evaluation-safe-documents/current-hms-safe-document/rec-fisheries-hms/|title=Current HMS SAFE Report: Recreational Fisheries Descriptions|date=18 January 2017|website=Pacific Fishery Management Council|language=en-us|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722203253/https://www.pcouncil.org/highly-migratory-species/stock-assessment-and-fishery-evaluation-safe-documents/current-hms-safe-document/rec-fisheries-hms/|archive-date=22 July 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> The fisheries in Oregon and Washington are supported by seasonal warm water influxes from the [[California Current]] with the season lasting from mid-July until October.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sheely |first1=Terry W. |title=Albacore Tuna Fishing |url=https://www.saltwatersportsman.com/story/howto/albacore-tuna-fishing/ |website=www.saltwatersportsman.com |date=21 August 2020 |publisher=Saltwater Sportsman |access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref>

===Conservation===
====Fisheries management====
[[File:Dan Panshin and Bob Jacobson talk to an albacore tuna fisherman, 1965 (5857916261).jpg|thumb|[[Hatfield Marine Science Center]] researchers talk to an albacore fisherman in [[Newport, Oregon|Newport]]]]
Albacore are managed by four tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO's): the [[Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission]] (WCPFC), the [[Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission]] (IATTC), the [[International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas]] (ICCAT), and the [[Indian Ocean Tuna Commission]] (IOTC).<ref name=allen>{{cite journal |last1=Allen |first1=Robin |title=International management of tuna fisheries Arrangements, challenges and a way forward |journal=536 Fao Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper |date=2010 |volume=536 |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i1453e/i1453e00.pdf |access-date=March 3, 2015}}</ref> ICCAT has established catch quotas in the North and South Atlantic.

There are six globally managed stocks of albacore worldwide, one in the North Pacific, one in the South Pacific, another in the Indian Ocean, two for the North and South Atlantic, and one in the Mediterranean Sea.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-03 |title=Albacore |url=https://www.iss-foundation.org/tuna-stocks-and-management/tuna-fishing/tuna-species/albacore/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=International Seafood Sustainability Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref>

There is substantial uncertainty on current stock status, since different models and assumptions provide a wide range of estimates. However, most of them agreed on the view that spawning stock biomass decreased since the 1930s and started to recover since the mid-1990s. Most of the model formulations, as well as the base case, concluded that currently the stock is not undergoing [[overfishing]] but the spawning stock biomass is overfished.<ref name=iucn_old/><ref>{{cite web|title=EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ALB|url=https://www.iccat.int/Documents/SCRS/ExecSum/ALB_EN.pdf|website=www.iccat.int|publisher=The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas|access-date=March 5, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402102309/https://www.iccat.int/Documents/SCRS/ExecSum/ALB_EN.pdf|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> IOTC judges albacore in the Indian Ocean are not overfished, but maintaining or increasing effort in the core albacore fishing grounds is likely to result in further declines in albacore biomass.<ref>{{cite web|title=EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: ALBACORE|url=http://www.iotc.org/sites/default/files/documents/science/species_summaries/english/Albacore.pdf|website=www.iotc.org|publisher=Indian Ocean Tuna Commission|access-date=March 5, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402091335/http://www.iotc.org/sites/default/files/documents/science/species_summaries/english/Albacore.pdf|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> All of the tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations noted that there is uncertainty surrounding the life history and biology of tunas and tuna like species including age and growth, maturity, and natural mortality rates; uncertainty about the quality and completeness of available data; and uncertainty about recruitment.

The WCPFC has assessed the South Pacific Albacore are not overfished.<ref>{{cite web|title=STOCK ASSESSMENT OF ALBACORE TUNA IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN|url=http://www.wcpfc.int/system/files/SA-WP-04-Stock-Assessment-Albacore-Tuna-SPO-Rev-1.pdf|publisher=WCPFC|access-date=March 4, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402113709/http://www.wcpfc.int/system/files/SA-WP-04-Stock-Assessment-Albacore-Tuna-SPO-Rev-1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the 2014 assessment, the Albacore Working Group of the International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in North Pacific Ocean found estimates of total stock biomass (age 1 and older) show a long-term decline from the early 1970s to 1990 followed by a recovery through the 1990s and subsequent fluctuations without trend in the 2000s. The working group concludes that the stock is likely not in an overfished condition at present.<ref>{{cite web|title=STOCK ASSESSMENT OF ALBACORE TUNA IN THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN IN 2014|url=http://isc.ac.affrc.go.jp/pdf/ISC14pdf/Annex%2011-%20NPALB%20Stock%20Assessment%20Report_revsied%2029Aug14.pdf|website=isc.ac.affrc.go.jp/index.html|publisher=International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean|access-date=March 5, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402150439/http://isc.ac.affrc.go.jp/pdf/ISC14pdf/Annex%2011-%20NPALB%20Stock%20Assessment%20Report_revsied%2029Aug14.pdf|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>

South Pacific albacore stocks have recently (2007 to 2015) shown a 40% reduction in stock.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-30/alarming-population-crash-in-southern-albacore/6900728 |title=Alarming population crash in southern albacore tuna prompts catch rethink |access-date=2015-11-02 |website=ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)|date=2015-10-30 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-22/pacific-nations-agree-to-bring-tuna-fishery-under-their-control/5834354 |title=Pacific nations agree to historic tuna fishery pact to protect local industries |access-date=2015-11-02 |newspaper=ABC News|date=2014-10-22 }}</ref>

[[Population genomics|Population genomic]] research supports the distinction of separate North and South Pacific stocks, but results indicated that [[Introgression|interbreeding]] occurs between these populations and some potential migrants were genetically identified.<ref name="Vaux-2021" />

====Other organizations====
A number of programs have been developed to help consumers identify and support responsible and [[sustainable fisheries]]. Perhaps the most widely accepted of these programs is that of the [[Marine Stewardship Council]] (MSC). Several albacore fisheries have been certified as sustainable according to MSC standards, including the U.S. North and South Pacific albacore [http://www.fao.org/fishery/fishtech/30/en pole and line] and [http://www.fao.org/fishery/fishtech/1015/en troll/jig] fisheries ("pole and troll"), Canadian North Pacific troll fishery, and the New Zealand South Pacific troll fishery.<ref name=MSC>{{cite web|author=Marine Stewardship Council|title=List of all certified fisheries|url=http://www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/certified/all-certified-fisheries|publisher=MSC.org|access-date=15 February 2012}}</ref>

[[SeaChoice]] ranks albacore as a "best choice" for consumers, although notes some "moderate concerns" regarding the management effectiveness (in particular, no definitive assessment of the albacore stock of the [[Indian Ocean]] fishery has taken place), and "moderate concern" over the fishing stock, especially regarding the North Atlantic albacore population, which the [[National Marine Fisheries Service]] (NMFS) considers overfished with [[overfishing]] still occurring. In 2007, SeaChoice considered the southern Atlantic stock to be overfished but not currently experiencing overfishing. They regarded North Pacific albacore stocks as not overfished and not likely to be experiencing overfishing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seachoice.org/profile/70/view|title=Tuna: Albacore|work=[[SeaChoice]]|access-date=2007-02-21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912080740/http://www.seachoice.org/profile/70/view|archive-date=2007-09-12}}</ref>

===Mercury levels===
[[File:Bonito del Norte.jpg|thumb|Albacore fished by rod and reel in the Cantabric Sea, Spain]]
{{Main|Mercury poisoning}}
{{See also|Mercury in fish}}
Like other fish, albacore accumulate [[methylmercury]] in body tissue over time. Methylmercury is removed from the human body naturally, but it may take over a year for the levels to drop significantly. Thus, it may remain in a woman from before she becomes pregnant. Ranging from as low as 0.027&nbsp;ppm (parts per million) to 0.26&nbsp;ppm, the average total mercury content of albacore is 0.14 ± 0.05&nbsp;ppm. Larger fish tend to [[bioaccumulation|bioaccumulate]] higher methylmercury levels. For the most part, there is positive correlation between an albacore's methylmercury measurement and its weight and length.<ref name="Morrissey 2008 41–52">{{cite journal |last1=Morrissey |first1=Michael T. |last2=Rasmussen |first2=Rosalee |last3=Okada |first3=Tomoko |title=Mercury Content in Pacific Troll-Caught Albacore Tuna ( Thunnus alalunga ) |journal=Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology |date=5 April 2005 |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=41–52 |doi=10.1300/J030v13n04_04 |bibcode=2005JAFPT..13d..41M |citeseerx=10.1.1.578.9827 |s2cid=45982962 }}</ref> Albacore caught by the American albacore fishing fleet off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California have far lower mercury levels than in previous years.{{when|date=May 2019}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/docs/OSU_Mercury_Study.pdf|title=NOAA - FishWatch|work=noaa.gov}}</ref> Albacore caught in this region also show methylmercury levels well below the 1.0 ppm mercury standard set by The [[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA).<ref name="Morrissey 2008 41–52"/> Nevertheless, since mercury does take time to be removed from the body, albacore tuna should be eaten in moderation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-03-20 |title=Mercury in tuna: Is canned tuna safe? {{!}} Environmental Defense Fund |url=https://www.edf.org/health/mercury-alert-canned-tuna-safe#:~:text=Canned%20white,%20or%20albacore%20(0.32,,%208-ounce%20portions). |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=www.edf.org |language=en}}</ref>

===Cuisine=== 
{{Main|List of tuna dishes}}
As with other tunas, albacore meat is a versatile ingredient that is used a wide variety of dishes.<ref>{{cite book | title=Pacific Fisherman | publisher=Miller Freeman Publications | issue=v. 60 | year=1962 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NiH0AAAAMAAJ | access-date=August 23, 2019 | page=31}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Lowry | first=D. | title=The Connoisseur's Guide to Sushi: Everything You Need to Know about Sushi Varieties and Accompaniments, Etiquette and Dining Tips, and More | publisher=Harvard Common Press | year=2005 | isbn=978-1-55832-307-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wIOcYVPYfkAC&pg=PP168 | access-date=August 23, 2019 | page=168}}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=Albacore cuisine
|width=180
|align=center
|File:Albacore Fiji.jpg
 |{{center|Lightly cooked albacore [[Fish steak|steak]]}}
|File:La Petite Salad Niçoise (3384266478).jpg
 |{{center|Seared albacore in a [[salade niçoise]]}}
|File:Albacore tuna rice wrap (7000531264).jpg
 |{{center|Albacore in a rice wrap}}
|File:Canned and packaged tuna on supermarket shelves.jpg
 |{{center|Canned albacore on sale at a supermarket}}
|File:Cuisine_of_the_Basque_Country_-_Bonito_del_Norte_con_piperrada.jpg
 |{{center|Bonito del Norte con [[Piperade|piperrada]], a [[Basque_cuisine|Basque dish]] using albacore}}
}}