Albacore Tuna

Our tuna is caught by our fleet of 15-17 owned and independent poleline vessels operating in the crystal clear blue Atlantic Ocean off the South West African seaboard.

Albacore Tuna (Thunnus alalunga)

We contract two types of vessels. Our sea frozen vessels hold between 40 and 90 tonnes with a blast freezer on board, freezing to a minimum core temperature of -20°C. They are able to operate at sea for up to 1 month and land their catches in Cape Town, South Africa, or in Luderitz and Walvisbay, Namibia. Meanwhile, our ice vessels stay out for a maximum of 7 days and deliver the fish to our contracted freezing facilities in the Cape Town and Houtbay harbours.

The season normally commences at the start of October and closes at the end of May. The Albacore is frozen whole with an average weight ranging between 7 – 20 kg.

In December 2024, Blue Seas Products as a proud member of the Southern Africa Sustainable Tuna Association (SASTUNA), an alliance representing the South African albacore tuna pole and linefishery, was certified to the globally recognised standard for sustainable fishing set by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Most of our vessels are also members of the South African Tuna Association (SATA).

Seasonal Availability

Tuna is a migratory species and follows the warmer weather and waters. It comes from the South and migrates North, following the summer. Therefore traditionally it is caught in South African waters starting in October and peaking in November and December.

Although we see a drop off in the catches in South Africa from January the fishing traditionally continues up until June but to a lesser extent. Many vessels shift their focus to other species such as hake and snoek during this period.

Some of the bigger vessels will go to seamount Valdivia in the South Atlantic Ocean to target tuna during May until June.

A Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is granted to South Africa by ICCAT based on historical catch statistics. The South African fleet partakes in an Olympic catch system whereby monthly catch records is submitted to DFFE who use this information to regulate and ensure the fishery adheres to ICCAT regulations.

We export only first grade South African and Namibian origin albacore that is catch certificate compliant and NRCS (SABS) and EU approved.

Nutritional Information

Nutrient	Per 100 g
Energy	841 kJ / 201 kcal
Total fat	13.5 g
of which saturated fat	5.5 g
Carbohydrate	< 1.0 g
of which total sugar	< 1.0 g
Protein	20.1 g
Salt	0.3 g
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	3006 mg