Albacore tuna has been an important fishery for us since 1998. That was the year when the American canneries were unable to buy from the domestic fleet.
A marketing crisis occurred. Vessels full of fish were in port from San Diego to Washington, but unable to sell their catch. Upon learning of potential interest for our fish in Spain, Bill Carvalho spent many nights telephoning and faxing potential buyers in Spain.
After two weeks, two major canneries placed sizable orders and Carvalho Fisheries became the primary buyer of the fleet's fish for the rest of the season. Since then, the demand in Spain for our high quality, troll-caught Albacore has increased. We now export millions of pounds annually. Many fishermen have equipped their vessels with high capacity blast freezers. They have developed techniques of spiking, bleading and freezing their fish to make them acceptable to the most demanding customer base, the Japanese.
The sashimi-grade fish is outstanding in mild flavor, clear-white flesh and firm texture.
