False Albacore Management Information

False Albacore Annual Update

False Albacore Species Profile

False Albacore, also known as “Little Tunny”, have no stock assessment to inform stock status. False Albacore are currently managed through Marine Fisheries Commission Rule 15A NCAC 03M .0523, which came into effect on June 1, 2026. The rule requires DMF to formally monitor False Albacore landings and provide a landings summary to the MFC at its annual August business meeting to determine if False Albacore landings exceed a threshold of 200% of the average landings from both sectors combined from 2018–2022. If the threshold is exceeded, a memo would be provided to the MFC containing the DMF justification for False Albacore management, including information on whether it was an anomalous annual harvest with other factors influencing the increase. Management changes could be pursued with consent from the MFC to prevent further expansion of the fisheries no sooner than January 1 the next year to allow time to inform the public of the new restrictions.

The combined commercial and recreational landings were 387,367 lb in 2025. Landings did not exceed the threshold therefore no management changes are required.