Albacore
The albacore (Thunnus alalunga), known also as the albicore or longfin tuna, is a species of tuna of the order Scombriformes. It lives in temperate and tropical waters across the globe in the epipelagic and mesopelagic zones. There are six distinct stocks known globally in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea. The albacore has an elongate, fusiform body with a conical snout, large eyes, and remarkably long pectoral fins. Its body is a deep blue dorsally and shades of silvery white ventrally. Individuals can reach up to 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) in length.
Albacore are pelagic predators, eating a wide variety of foods, including fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. They are unique among tuna in that their primary food-source is cephalopods, with fish making up a much smaller portion of their diet. Reproduction usually occurs from November to February and is oviparous. An adult female can release over two million eggs in a single cycle. Fry (juvenile fish) generally stay near where they were spawned for about a year before moving on. Albacore form schools based on their stage in the life-cycle, but also combine with other tuna like the skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, and bluefin tuna. Schools of grown albacore are highly migratory.
The albacore is a very economically important fish and is a target of commercial and recreational fisheries. It was originally the basis for the United States tuna-canning industry and is no less important today, making up significant percentages of the gross domestic products of various Pacific nations. Previously listed as
'Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because of the threat of overfishing, the species moved to the category "Least Concern" in 2021. Several stocks were in significant decline but are now recovering thanks to the enforcement of regional fishing-quotas.
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