Albacore off the north-west coast of New Zealand, February 1972 

Roberts, P. E. 

1974 

 

 

Article in journal 

During two trolling surveys in February 1972, ablacore, #Thunnus alalunga# (Bonaterre), were located betwen Cape Reinga and Cape Egmont, but were more abundant between Kaipara Harbour and Albatross Point. Fish catches and associated hydrological data are presented. Albacore were caught only in areas where the sea surface temperatures were between 18.5 deg.c and 21.3 deg.c, and usually in areas where the water was blue and the bottom depth between 45 m and 80 m. The albacore were mainly of the 2- and 3-year age-groups. Of the 665 fish landed, 449 were tagged and released, but no recoveries have been made. Commercial vessels located albacore within 20 km of New Plymouth during the summers of 1970 and 1971 when sea surface temperatures were 1.5-2.5 deg.c higher than in February 1972, probably because of a more southward extension of the West Auckland Current in 1970 and 1971. 

 

Kaipara harbour; thunnus alalunga; sampling; cape reinga; fishing effort; methods; albacore; tagging; Biogeophysical; fishery statistics; fishery surveys; cape egmont; geographical distribution; scombridae