Sole of Discretion CIC - Albacore Tuna
| Title | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 x 260g | £8.90 |
Albacore Tuna
Thunnus Alalunga
Through the Slow Fish network we made connections with two Spanish boats operating in the Bay of Biscay. The boats are owned by traditional Basque fishing families, and though they are much larger than the boats we buy from locally at 25m, the crews are paid though a share of the catch rather than on a contract etc. It is not possible in the precarious weather off the Bay of Biscay for the smaller boats to go into the deeper waters. The Itoitz is a towed hook and line troll fishery, while the Kalamua is pole & line and simulates a ‘feeding frenzy’ to catch the albacore.
The albacore comes from the northern stock of tuna, which is not overfished and is rated ‘Best Choice’ by the Marine Conservation Society. Management of the northern albacore stock has recovered from its low levels in the 1990s to the highest level since the 1960s. There is a robust management plan in place, which has been peer reviewed. It is expected to keep the stock in its current good state. Catches have been below the limits in most years since 2001, which may have speeded up the stock rebuilding process.
It is a labour-intensive and very selective fishery.
The negative points to look out for in the fishery though is that the traditional surface (pole & line and troll) fisheries that our boats and many others in the region employ, mainly take immature albacore. As there are no limits to control the catch of immature fish, this could have implications for the stock. The mandatory level of observer coverage in the Atlantic is low, at just 5% for most gears targeting albacore, so these fisheries are not well monitored.
Another concern might be that around 40% of northern albacore catches are by pole and line fisheries, also known as baitboats like the Kalamua. Though this method of fishing targets fish near the surface, so rarely touches the seabed and doesn't have habitat impacts which is great, however, it uses live bait and so there can be concerns about the impact on baitfish stocks. Our boats use anchovy and in this fishery, the impacts appear to be small.
The fish we buy will only just have reached sexual maturity at 9kg, they can grow to 45kg, and the females will have spawned around 900,000 eggs.
Cooking tips
With a very high oil content, albacore tuna is tasty raw and seared. Albacore tuna has a firm, beef steak type texture, with large flakes and a mild rich taste to it. It has a much lighter colour than yellowfin or bluefin tuna, ranging from a light beige to rosy pink in the raw state. It is also has the most omega-3 amongst the tunas.
Our albacore is sashimi grade, but if you like grilled tuna you will love Albacore - for the best flavour cook a little pink in the centre.
Thunnus Alalunga
Through the Slow Fish network we made connections with two Spanish boats operating in the Bay of Biscay. The boats are owned by traditional Basque fishing families, and though they are much larger than the boats we buy from locally at 25m, the crews are paid though a share of the catch rather than on a contract etc. It is not possible in the precarious weather off the Bay of Biscay for the smaller boats to go into the deeper waters. The Itoitz is a towed hook and line troll fishery, while the Kalamua is pole & line and simulates a ‘feeding frenzy’ to catch the albacore.
The albacore comes from the northern stock of tuna, which is not overfished and is rated ‘Best Choice’ by the Marine Conservation Society. Management of the northern albacore stock has recovered from its low levels in the 1990s to the highest level since the 1960s. There is a robust management plan in place, which has been peer reviewed. It is expected to keep the stock in its current good state. Catches have been below the limits in most years since 2001, which may have speeded up the stock rebuilding process.
It is a labour-intensive and very selective fishery.
The negative points to look out for in the fishery though is that the traditional surface (pole & line and troll) fisheries that our boats and many others in the region employ, mainly take immature albacore. As there are no limits to control the catch of immature fish, this could have implications for the stock. The mandatory level of observer coverage in the Atlantic is low, at just 5% for most gears targeting albacore, so these fisheries are not well monitored.
Another concern might be that around 40% of northern albacore catches are by pole and line fisheries, also known as baitboats like the Kalamua. Though this method of fishing targets fish near the surface, so rarely touches the seabed and doesn't have habitat impacts which is great, however, it uses live bait and so there can be concerns about the impact on baitfish stocks. Our boats use anchovy and in this fishery, the impacts appear to be small.
The fish we buy will only just have reached sexual maturity at 9kg, they can grow to 45kg, and the females will have spawned around 900,000 eggs.
Cooking tips
With a very high oil content, albacore tuna is tasty raw and seared. Albacore tuna has a firm, beef steak type texture, with large flakes and a mild rich taste to it. It has a much lighter colour than yellowfin or bluefin tuna, ranging from a light beige to rosy pink in the raw state. It is also has the most omega-3 amongst the tunas.
Our albacore is sashimi grade, but if you like grilled tuna you will love Albacore - for the best flavour cook a little pink in the centre.
Shelf Life: 5 Days
NOTE: This product is an accepted import.