Discover the latest in ARF Pacific Albacore Tuna research.

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

Juvenile Albacore Tuna (Thunnus alalunga) Foraging Ecology Varies With Environmental Conditions in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem.
Catherine F. Nickels, Elan J. Portner, Owyn Snodgrass, Barbara Muhling, Heidi Dewar, NOAA Fisheries - Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Scripps Institution of Oceanography - University of California San Diego Michele Amar Catherine F. Nickels, Elan J. Portner, Owyn Snodgrass, Barbara Muhling, Heidi Dewar, NOAA Fisheries - Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Scripps Institution of Oceanography - University of California San Diego Michele Amar

Juvenile Albacore Tuna (Thunnus alalunga) Foraging Ecology Varies With Environmental Conditions in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem.

Characterizing changes in albacore diet with changing environmental conditions is key to understanding variability in albacore abundance, distribution and availability to recreational and commercial fisheries. ARF has been keenly interested in changes in albacore foraging characteristics and has actively supported diet studies through the collection of stomach contents and associated data necessary to carry out these studies.

*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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