Albacore big this year, attack on gillnets, salmon market

摘要

Big albacore: In the first few weeks of July, tuna trailers were hooking hefty albacore, averaging 17 to 18 pounds each, 80 to 100 miles from the Oregon shore. At $2,900 a ton for blast-bled, the price was nice too. Albacore typically average 12 to 14pounds, said Wayne Heikkila, director of the Western Fishboat Owners Association. Toward the end of July, the fishing turned south, and the weather got ugly. Even the price simmered down to $2,700 a ton for blast-bled, and fresh albacore was selling between 85 cents and $1 a pound in Oregon. High winds churned the ocean and chilled the water to a few degrees colder than normal, cooling off the catch rate.