Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) is a species of tuna found in the temperate and tropical waters of all the world’s major oceans. It is a pelagic, highly migratory fish that travels vast distances across open ocean, often in large schools. Adults typically weigh 10–25 kilograms, making them smaller than bluefin or yellowfin tuna but still a substantial fish.
Albacore is the only tuna species that can be labelled ‘white tuna’ when canned, due to its pale, mild-flavoured flesh. This distinction has made it commercially valuable, and it accounts for a significant portion of the global canned tuna market. Fresh and frozen albacore is also sold for sashimi and cooking, particularly steaks.
Albacore is fished commercially across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. In Australia, albacore is caught in both the eastern and western Pacific and is available canned, fresh, and frozen.
How it's produced
Albacore tuna is exclusively wild-caught using several fishing methods. In the Pacific, the primary methods are longline fishing (using lines extending many kilometres with hundreds of baited hooks) and troll fishing (dragging lured lines behind a moving boat). Pole-and-line fishing is also used in some fisheries.
Troll and pole-and-line methods are generally considered more sustainable as they produce less bycatch than longlining. Albacore stocks are managed by regional fisheries management organisations that set catch limits, though stock health varies by ocean basin. Fish are typically blast-frozen at sea shortly after catch to preserve quality, or delivered fresh to port if fishing close to shore. There is no commercial farming of albacore tuna.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
* Based on what it takes to produce, from farm to factory gate.
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