Discover the latest in ARF Pacific Albacore Tuna research.

These studies are peer-reviewed and conducted by scientists at independently funded organizations.

Migration and Behavior of Juvenile North Pacific Albacore (Thunnus alalunga)
John Childers, Stephanie Snyder, Suzanne Kohin, NOAA Fisheries - Southwest Fisheries Science Center Michele Amar John Childers, Stephanie Snyder, Suzanne Kohin, NOAA Fisheries - Southwest Fisheries Science Center Michele Amar

Migration and Behavior of Juvenile North Pacific Albacore (Thunnus alalunga)

This research provides a summary of the seasonal movements, migration patterns and vertical (diving) behavior of juvenile North Pacific albacore that are taken by the US and Canada troll and pole and line fisheries of the west coast. The albacore exhibited five distinct, seasonal migratory patterns. Diving behavior revealed that juvenile albacore spend more time at depth than previously thought which explains lower catchability during some years or seasons.

This information was made possible by position and depth data from archival (data storing) tags funded by ARF and analyzed by the NOAA Fisheries, Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

*Juvenile North Pacific Albacore refer to fish of 1 to 5 years of age that have entered the surface fishery but have not yet returned to the western Pacific to spawn. These are the fish that are sustainably harvested by ARF member vessels using troll gear.

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Risk and Reward in Foraging Migrations of North Pacific Albacore Determined From Estimates of Energy Intake and Movement Costs
Barbara Muhling, Stephanie Snyder, Elliott L. Hazen, Rebecca E. Whitlock, Heidi Dewar, Jong-Yeon Park, Charles A. Stock, Barbara A. Block, Institute of Marine Sciences - University of California, Santa Cruz, NOAA Fisheries - Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Department of Biological Sciences - Thomas More University, Department of Aquatic Resources - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences - Jeonbuk National University, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hopkins Marine Station - Stanford University Michele Amar Barbara Muhling, Stephanie Snyder, Elliott L. Hazen, Rebecca E. Whitlock, Heidi Dewar, Jong-Yeon Park, Charles A. Stock, Barbara A. Block, Institute of Marine Sciences - University of California, Santa Cruz, NOAA Fisheries - Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Department of Biological Sciences - Thomas More University, Department of Aquatic Resources - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences - Jeonbuk National University, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hopkins Marine Station - Stanford University Michele Amar

Risk and Reward in Foraging Migrations of North Pacific Albacore Determined From Estimates of Energy Intake and Movement Costs

Archival tags are implanted in the body cavity of fish and record the internal body temperature at frequent intervals. This study used these temperature recordings to identify times and areas of feeding to examine the benefits vs costs of moving to seasonal feeding or wintering grounds that had been previously identified (Childers et al. 2011). The migratory paths and increased feeding were found in areas of estimated high plankton concentrations in the California Current and the North Pacific Transition Zone.

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Dynamic Habitat Use of Albacore and Their Primary Prey Species in the California Current System
Barbara Muhling, Stephanie Brodie, Owyn Snodgrass, Desiree Tommasi, Heidi Dewar, John Childers, Michael Jacox, Christopher A. Edwards, Yi Xu, Stephanie Snyder, Thomas More University, NOAA Fisheries - Southwest Fisheries Science Center, University of California, Santa Cruz - Institute for Marine Science, Ocean Sciences Department - University of California, Santa Cruz, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Delta Jade Gonzales Barbara Muhling, Stephanie Brodie, Owyn Snodgrass, Desiree Tommasi, Heidi Dewar, John Childers, Michael Jacox, Christopher A. Edwards, Yi Xu, Stephanie Snyder, Thomas More University, NOAA Fisheries - Southwest Fisheries Science Center, University of California, Santa Cruz - Institute for Marine Science, Ocean Sciences Department - University of California, Santa Cruz, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Delta Jade Gonzales

Dynamic Habitat Use of Albacore and Their Primary Prey Species in the California Current System

Juvenile north Pacific albacore (Thunnus alalunga) forage in the California Current System (CCS), supporting fisheries between Baja California and British Columbia. Within the CCS, their distribution, abundance, and foraging behaviors are strongly variable interannually. Here, we use catch logbook data and trawl survey records to investigate how juvenile albacore in the CCS use their oceanographic environment, and how their distributions overlap with the habitats of four key forage species.

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