14 August 2006
United States Huge schools of migrating albacore, the tastiest of all tuna species, are providing big catches for a battered U.S. North Coast fishing fleet.
After a disastrous commercial salmon season, the arrival of massive numbers of the so-called consumer favorite “chicken of the sea†is cheering fishing communities at BodegaBay, NoyoHarbor and Eureka.
Mike Rosecrans, skipper of the 50-foot fishing troller Empress from Noyo, hooked 1,000 pounds of albacore on Sunday about 30 miles offshore Point Arena on the south MendocinoCoast.
â€We really got into them,†Rosecrans said.
The fresh albacore haul sold out within a few days at the Empress Seafood dock in Noyo, where the boat's fish catch is marketed.
Bob Wilson, a fish wholesaler who owns the Empress, said the catch was the biggest so far off the MendocinoCoast. Wilson said hopefully it will mark the start of an abundant albacore run.
â€Sunday’s catch will definitely pay some bills,†Wilson said.
Statistics show the albacore run comes and goes, with good years followed by bad. Only 28,593 pounds of albacore were hauled into NoyoHarbor in 2005, but the year before local fishing boats loaded up 117,986 pounds, plunking more than $100,000 into local fishermen's pockets.
While the take last year fell far short of a good salmon season, the arrival of the far-migrating albacore has brought excitement.
â€In a season when there’s not much going on, fishing for albacore is fun,†Wilson said. Albacore fishing is year-round, and the only limits to a catch are weather conditions and the length of the migration. Schools of albacore are usually found 30 miles from the coast.
About 67 percent of the world’s albacore supply comes from the Pacific Ocean, where the tuna migrate in a vast circle. They roam from tropical and Asian waters where they spawn to the West Coast. This time of the year albacore are found in offshore waters from Baja California to British Columbia.
Commercial and sports fishing boats will make daily runs out of Noyo Harbor and Bodega Bay in search of the migrating albacore. For sport fishermen, albacore provide a good fight. It can take 45 minutes to reel in a chunky one. The typical catch is 20-25 pounds, although adult albacore can mature to 100 pounds or more.
Canned albacore commands top dollar on market shelves because of its chicken-like texture.
But albacore is especially prized by fish-loving home cooks, who are willing to pay a premium for a fish species that's often called “white tuna.â€
