Tombo Ahi albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga)

Albacore tuna is common- such as brought about by “El Nino” keted through the Honolulu fish ly known as tombo ahi in Hawaii. climate events, may affect catch auction. The remainder of the han- Other names for this species include rates in Hawaii. dline fishery catch is sold through tombo, Pacific albacore and “white Fishing Methods: intermediary buyers on the island meat” tuna. Tombo means dragonfly of Hawaii where this fishery is cen- in Japanese, a name used for these Most of the tombo ahi catch in Ha- tered. fish that have very long pectoral fins. waii is landed by commercial long- line boats that set hooks at the swimming depths of the large tom- Quality Seasonality & How bo (450-900 ft). A small portion of Most of the Hawaii catch of tombo They Are Caught the catch is made by the small-boat is sold fresh. Some longline boats Availability and Seasonality: handline (ika-shibi) fishery based catching tombo ahi are at sea for up on the island of Hawaii. Tombo ahi is seasonally available to 10-12 days, but with proper care, in significant quantities, but is The tombo ahi caught in the vicin- the fish will retain a high quality for scarce in the off-season. The peak ity of the Hawaiian Islands are large three weeks after capture. Although in landings usually occurs from (40-80 pounds in round weight) not as old when landed, the quality May through September. There are adult fish. Smaller, immature tombo of handline-caught tombo is more also wide fluctuations in the annual migrate extensively throughout the variable because of differences in catch of tombo ahi. Availability is North Pacific far north of the Ha- handling by the small-boat tuna greatly influenced by oceanographic waiian Islands. fleet. conditions. Tombo ahi is believed to Distribution: Product Forms and Yields: migrate along ocean temperature The longline catch and much of the The preferred market size of tombo “edges” rich in food, hence, disrup- handline catch of tombo ahi is mar- ahi for use in fresh or processed tion of ocean-wide current systems, products is greater than 50 pounds Historical Note

other ahi or aku and, hence, more Albacore is the only tuna species 60-65%. which can be canned as “white meat tuna” in the U.S. The west coast al- Fresh albacore is also marketed as cooked than when in the raw state. Cooked tombo turns bright white. 20th century as canning techniques were perfected. Frozen albacore counter service or self-service coun- Preparations: remains an important species for ters. Tombo is one of the preferred Restaurants usually grill tombo tuna canning. Hawaii no longer has ahi, but other cooking methods will a tuna cannery, so local landings of products. work as well. Tombo has a tendency albacore enter the fresh market. Color, Taste, Texture: to dry out quickly, so it is important to avoid overcooking. Tombo works

sushi, poke and ceviche.

Hawaii Seafood Council Acknowledgement: produced with support from NOAA www.hawaii-seafood.org