Present in the east, south and west from east of Torres Strait to the North West Shelf (Ref. 30271). Stock structure: In the Pacific Ocean, albacore are considered to comprise separate northern and southern hemisphere stocks, each with distinct spawning areas. As of 1993, there was no firm evidence that these stocks mixed across the equator (Ref. 30271, 30282). Scientists then regarded South Pacific albacore as a functional, or discreet, unit stock (Ref. 30279, 30282). Albacore off the west coast and north-west coast of Australia are part of the Indian Ocean stock, while albacore off the east coast are part of the south Pacific Ocean stock. It is possible that albacore along the east coast move around southern Tasmania and mix with the albacore stock of the Indian Ocean (Ref. 30285) although the interchange is probably minimal.

Commercial fishery: Albacore are a premium canning species. They are esteemed for their white, dry flesh and are often referred to as ‘chicken of the sea’.

In the south Pacific Ocean, albacore are caught mainly by longline vessels from Taiwan, Korea and Japan, and trolling vessels from the United States of America and New Zealand. The longline vessels operate from off the Australian mainland east to about 100°W. Combined catches by all fleets over the 10 years to 1988 averaged 32,700 t per year (Ref. 30279). While a major Japanese and Taiwanese driftnet fishery for albacore operated in the southern Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand during the mid and late 1980s, there is now no commercial fishery that targets albacore in the Australian Fishing Zone.

The largest catches of albacore in the Zone are usually taken as a bycatch by Japanese fishing vessels longlining for southern bluefin, yellowfin and bigeye tunas (Ref. 30289). Japanese longlining mainly takes place off the east and south-east coast with lesser activity off the west coast. Hooks are set between 50 m and 150 m below the sea surface, with up to about 3300 hooks per line. The lines are 80-100 km long.

The Japanese freeze their albacore catch whole and take it back to Japan for canning. From 1984 to 1988 an annual average of 1300 t of albacore was caught by Japanese longliners working in Australian waters (Ref. 30287).

Domestic vessels using drifting longlines have successfully fished for various species of tuna off eastern Australia since the early 1950s, the fishing activity escalating after 1984 (Ref. 30287). The target species are the more valuable yellowfin tuna (T. albacares) and bigeye tuna (T. obesus), with albacore (T. alalunga) as bycatch (Ref. 30289). Logbooks record that the domestic tuna longline fleet catches about 100 t of albacore annually (Ref. 30287), although the catch is probably higher. The Australian longlines are shorter than the Japanese longlines: up to 30 km long and set with 200-800 hooks. Albacore from domestic longliners are sold through the Sydney and Melbourne fish markets, to wholesale buyers in Melbourne, or to local canneries.

Albacore were previously a minor bycatch of pole-and-line and purse seining operations for southern bluefin tuna off New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia. In 1 year (1981-82) the catch was around 2000 t (Ref. 30285). More recently, small quantities of albacore have been taken by pole-and-line vessels targeting skipjack tuna off the New South Wales south coast. The catch of albacore from pole-and-line is sold mainly to the cannery at Eden.

Small quantities of albacore are also caught off the east coast by domestic trolling, although these operations are more opportunistic. Domestic longliners, after setting their gear, may troll up to 15 lines with single lures spaced 5-50 m behind the boat. Trolling is also carried out off Tasmania’s east coast to target southern bluefin tuna with albacore a significant bycatch in those waters. The trolled albacore catch - along with any bycatch from longlining - is sold locally either as fresh fish or as processed, smoked fillets.

The albacore catch in domestic fisheries off the southern and western coast is incidental and trivial.

Recreational fishery: The recreational fishery for albacore is small but growing steadily as amateur fishers venture further off the coast in search of fish. Anglers use rod-and-reel to take albacore by trolling artificial lures and live or dead baits, or drifting using live or fish pieces with the assistance of a berley trail. Albacore are mainly caught off New South Wales from September to December and again in April and May, while off Tasmania they are caught from January to April. Mainly juveniles (40-90 cm FL) are taken. The record size for an albacore caught by an angler in Australia as of 1993, was 23.2 kg (records of the Game Fishing Association of Australia). Angler clubs reported a catch of 642 albacore off eastern Australia in 1988-89 (Ref. 30284).

There has been a noticeable increase in the numbers of albacore tagged and released by game fishers on Australia’s east coast. Figures provided by the NSW Fisheries Research Institute’s database show that from 1986 to the end of 1990-91, 2450 albacore were tagged and released. Up to July 1992, a total of 21 tagged fish had been recovered from a total of 3646 releases since 1973.

Resource status: Albacore stocks are considered to be under-utilised in Australian waters and there is potential for development of a fishery (Ref. 30285). A review of the status of the broader south Pacific Ocean stock (Ref. 30278) by the South Pacific Albacore Research working group, an informal group of albacore scientists from the South Pacific and distant water fishing nations, suggests that the withdrawal of the driftnet fleet from the Tasman Sea and broader south-west Pacific has considerably lessened earlier concern about the potential impact of that fleet on the south Pacific Ocean stock of albacore. Nevertheless, the south Pacific albacore troll fishery has the capacity to reduce yields in the south Pacific longline fishery. Also Ref. 2334.