Summary of the 1984 north Pacific albacore fishery data

This year marks the 11th successive year of a cooperative data collection effort on the United States North Pacific albacore fishery. For 1984, over 900 logbooks were distributed to fishermen before the beginning of the fishing season (March-May) by mail and during the season (June- September) at unloading docks. Albacore catch and effort Information recorded in these logbooks by fishermen were submitted to samplers employed by state fisheries agencies. In the cases where fishermen did not have access to logbooks, samplers conducted interviews for the necessary information. These samplers also measured and collected length-frequency samples of the unloaded catch. Cooperating groups involved in the distribution of logbooks and the collection of data include California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Washington Department of Fisheries (WDF), Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission (PMFC), Western Fishboat Owners Association (WFOA) and the Honolulu Laboratory of the Southwest Fisheries Center. In this report, we present data collected from the 1984 U.S. North Pacific albacore fishery. Areas covered include the traditional fishing grounds off the U.S. west coast, areas north of Hawaii, and areas in the western Pacific. Data are summarized and compared with those collected in 1983. Also included is a section on purse seine albacore catches in areas off southern California early in the 1984 fishing season. Landings from foreign fisheries including Canada, Japan, and Taiwan from 1952 to 1983 are also included for comparison purposes. 1985 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) Library Public Domain 1930