Leif Lands Little Tunny and Skipjack

From Al Ristori Blog today.....

Leif Eric Pettersen lost a tuna during a recent trip aboard Jamaica Princess from Point Pleasant, but got into lots of skipjacks that he cooked, and found to be very good eating. I don't know why many anglers think skipjacks aren't worth keeping. They are a little softer than other tunas, and should be iced down, but make a fine tuna salad. Indeed, that's what you usually get in a can of chunk light tuna.

Some fishermen confuse them with little tunny (false albacore), which require soaking in cold brine or milk before cooking in order to get all the blood out of them. Skipjacks are the only tuna with stripes on the belly, while little tunny have wavy, mackerel-like markings on their back and several spots around the pectoral fins. Little tunny and cownose rays were also caught during that trip.