Nuku ’ alofa , Tonga 10 - 19

Executive Summary A tagging programme for south Pacific albacore commenced in 2009 as part of the EU-funded SCIFISH project. The main objective was to obtain information on exploitation rates and movement of albacore. The first albacore tagging cruise was completed in 2009 with 2766 albacore tagged and released in the troll fishery off the west coast of New Zealand. To date, only 1 recapture has been reported from these tagged fish. The second phase of albacore tagging for the SCIFISH project commenced in March 2010 with several tagging cruises completed in New Caledonia, New Zealand and Tonga. The primary objectives were to tag larger albacore than were tagged in 2009 in an attempt to increase tag recapture rates and also to release 30 satellite archival tags (miniPATs) to obtain detailed information on movement patterns. Longlining was the principal fishing method used to catch albacore for tag and release. Catch rates and the condition of albacore landed varied significantly between locations, but generally a large proportion of albacore landed were unsuitable for tag and release. As a result, only 92 albacore were tagged with conventional tags and 19 with miniPATs. All conventional tag releases were in New Zealand where the proportion of albacore landed in good condition was substantially higher than in other locations. Future tagging programs for albacore should consider the implications of different fishing gears and locations for tagging. Tagging at tropical latitudes is unlikely to yield large numbers of albacore suitable for tag and release, and longlining and trolling both cause injuries to a significant proportion of albacore thus reducing the proportion of tagged fish. Alternative methods for obtaining information on exploitation rates and movement for albacore should be explored due to the difficulties in the application of traditional tagging programs and the very low recapture rates of tagged albacore.