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Albacore (germon):professional buying guide, season, fish auctions, line or trawl

Albacore for the trade: season from July to October, Le Guilvinec and Saint-Jean-de-Luz first, line or trawl, freshness, histamine and substitutes.

Updated 6 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. Buying sheet
  2. When to buy albacore?
  3. Line or trawl: what is the difference?
  4. How to judge the freshness of albacore?
  5. Which pitfalls to avoid?
  6. What to replace albacore with?
  7. What makes the price of albacore move?
  8. Frequently asked questions

Albacore (Thunnus alalunga), also called "thon blanc" (white tuna) in France, is a medium-sized tuna, recognisable by its very long pectoral fins, caught in summer in the Bay of Biscay and sold fresh at French fish auctions from July to October; two auctions, Le Guilvinec and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, sell nearly nine kilos out of ten. It is the "thon blanc" of French canned tuna and the "bonito del norte" of Spanish price lists. Its flesh, pale pink when raw, turns white when cooked.

Buying sheet

Albacore
Scientific nameThunnus alalunga
Peak seasonJuly to October, peak in August in 2024. First lots in June; in 2024, no auction sales from November to May
Closed seasonNo seasonal closure of its own; North Atlantic stock managed by ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas): total allowable catch of 47,251 t a year from 2024 to 2026, of which 35,816 t for the European Union
Size grades on price lists (examples of trade practice, not a standard)Sold by the piece, by weight class: under 5 kg, 5 to 10 kg, over 10 kg
Main French fish auctions (2024)1,654 t sold at auction. Le Guilvinec 45%, Saint-Jean-de-Luz 42%, La Turballe 7%, Les Sables-d'Olonne 3%, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie 1%
OriginsNorth-East Atlantic (FAO area 27), mainly the Bay of Biscay. Imported albacore (Pacific, Indian Ocean) most often arrives frozen or canned
Fishing methodsTrolling line, live-bait pole and line, pair pelagic trawl. In the European Union, albacore may not be caught with driftnets, nor with bottom-set gillnets, entangling nets or trammel nets
Yield58% edible flesh (FAO); sold whole, then as loins and chunks
StorageWhole, gutted, bled, on ice (0 to 2 °C) without any break in the cold chain: a species at risk of histamine

Shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer). These figures only cover albacore sold at auction. National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another. Gears: Regulation (EU) 2019/1241, Article 9 and Annex III.

  • 1,654 tof albacore sold at auction in 2024
  • 711 tsold in August 2024, the peak month
  • 87%of sales at Le Guilvinec and Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Source: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions 2024.

When to buy albacore?

Albacore moves up into the Bay of Biscay at the start of summer. In 2024, the auctions sold about 230 tonnes in July, more than 700 tonnes in August, then around 350 tonnes in September and in October. The price does the opposite: the first lots in June sell high (about €5.40/kg in 2024), August is the cheapest month (under €3/kg), and albacore disappears from the auctions from November to May. For a summer menu, August and September combine volume and low prices.

From one year to the next, the heart of the season can shift from August to September. This week's price list remains the best guide.

Line or trawl: what is the difference?

At auction, trawl-caught albacore dominates: in 2024, trawlers brought in 1,510 of the 1,654 tonnes sold, hook-and-line vessels only a few dozen tonnes.

Line-caught albacore (trolling or pole and line) is caught one by one, bled and iced individually: clean flesh, barely marked. It is the product for tataki and seared tuna. Pelagic trawl albacore arrives in volume, sometimes crushed in the cod end: check the condition of the flanks and the colour of the flesh. The gear ("hooks and lines", "trawls") is mandatory on the label and tells you what you are buying.

How to judge the freshness of albacore?

  • Dark blue back, silvery and shiny flanks.
  • Bulging, clear eye; bright red gills.
  • Stiff body, firm belly, no sour smell.
  • When cut, pale pink, shiny flesh, with no browning or soft area around the backbone.

Which pitfalls to avoid?

  • Histamine. Albacore is one of the species rich in histidine. Poorly chilled, it produces histamine, which does not disappear with cooking; the EU regulation sets limits for these species. Check the temperature on delivery (see managing deliveries well).
  • Raw service. A fish served raw or lightly cooked must have been frozen against the anisakis risk, except for derogations set by the regulation. Ask your supplier before serving a tataki.
  • Names. "Bonito del norte" in Spanish means albacore; but the French "bonite" (listao, skipjack tuna) is another, cheaper species. The scientific name decides.
  • Defrosted fish. Albacore that has been frozen then defrosted must carry the mention "defrosted".

What to replace albacore with?

UseSubstituteNote
Tataki, searedAtlantic bluefin tunamuch more expensive, different commercial season
Plancha, pan-friedLine-caught mackerel, skipjack (bonite)oilier flesh, same histamine precaution
Escabeche, confitMackerel, sardineoily fish, low prices

What makes the price of albacore move?

Average first-sale price at auction, France, 2024Albacore
Yearly averageabout €3.30/kg
Cheapest monthAugust: about €2.90/kg
Most expensive monthJune: about €5.40/kg
Spread between auctionsfrom €3.10/kg (Le Guilvinec) to €3.50/kg (La Turballe)

Year 2024, all French fish auctions: average first-sale price at the auction hall (FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions, workbook published on 2 July 2026). Spread between auctions: among those handling at least 5% of albacore volumes. No sales from November to May. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

The price of albacore follows the landings of the campaign. The first lots of June 2024 (15 t) sold at a high price; in August, with 711 t, albacore fell below €3/kg, then rose back to about €3.70/kg in September and €3.80/kg in October, when sales returned to between 320 and 375 t a month. 2025 confirms June as the most expensive month. From one auction to another, the spread stays narrow (about €0.40/kg) between Le Guilvinec, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and La Turballe, which together sell more than 90% of albacore.

  • The season: expensive at the start of the campaign, lowest at the August peak.
  • The fishing method: line-caught albacore, rare at auction, does not compare with trawl-caught albacore; check the gear before comparing two prices.
  • The weight: fine large fish, easier to cut into loins, cost more per kilo.
  • The year: more volume does not mean a lower price. In 2024, auction sales rose by 23% on 2023 and the average price by 30%.
  • The weather: a gale keeps line fishers in port and the supply of line-caught albacore disappears.

Frequently asked questions

When is albacore in season?

From July to October at auction, with a peak in August or September depending on the year. In 2024, no albacore was sold at auction from November to May.

What is the difference between albacore and bluefin tuna?

Two species. Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) most often weighs under 20 kg and has pale pink flesh; Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) often exceeds 30 kg, has dark red flesh, is fished under a strict quota and sells for about three times as much at auction.

Where is fresh albacore sold in France?

Mainly at Le Guilvinec and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, which together sold 87% of the albacore that went through the auctions in 2024, then at La Turballe and Les Sables-d'Olonne.

Can albacore be served raw?

Yes, if it is perfectly fresh and complies with the sanitary rule on freezing fishery products eaten raw. Ask your supplier how this applies to the lot.

What is the auction price of albacore in France?

In 2024, about €3.30/kg on average at first sale in French fish auctions, from about €2.90/kg in August to about €5.40/kg for the first lots in June (FranceAgriMer). This is the price of whole fish, overwhelmingly trawl-caught: the price paid to the fish merchant adds processing, transport and margin.

Sources

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