Fish dealers anxious over 'ahi catch
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
Preston Montira of Garden and Valley Isle Seafood Inc. loads some 'ahi. If fishing boats bring in small catches of 'ahi in the next few days, prices could reach $40 per pound.
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Today marks the start of a critical period for a nervous fishing industry eager to satisfy the seemingly insatiable local appetite for coveted New Year's Day fresh 'ahi sashimi.
Until the majority of long-line fishing boats return from sea, no one knows how much 'ahi will be available. And supply will dictate price. Most of the vessels are expected to begin arriving today.
Consumers expect to pay more at this time of year for better-quality big-eye tuna, also called shibi, or yellow-fin tuna caught in colder waters by long-liners.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
Depending on the grade, the retail price of 'ahi before New Year's Day is between $20 to $30 per pound. If the supply is limited, the price could approach $40 per pound. Lower-grade 'ahi, usually used to make poke, was being sold at Christmas for about $8 per pound.
Shirley Propios of Garden and Valley Isle Seafood Inc. sets out some 'ahi fillets.
During the summer 'ahi fishing months when yellow-fin tunas are plentiful, prices are much lower but the fish filet is less fatty. Summer 'ahi, depending on grade, retails for $5 to $10 a pound. The fat, which enhances the taste of raw fish, adds to the quality of the winter catch.
To the Japanese, sashimi, thinly sliced pieces of raw fish, symbolizes happiness and prosperity and ensures good luck for the new year. Other ethnic groups here have also acquired a taste for high-grade 'ahi.
The annual waiting period from the day after Christmas through the morning of New Year's Eve is nerve-racking for wholesalers and retailers waiting for the long-line fishing boats.
The waiting period this week has been agonizing because only a few long-line fishing boats have been trickling in without much 'ahi.
"The catch rate is not good," Guy Tamashiro of Tamashiro Market said yesterday. "The total catch average (per boat) has been 9,000 to 10,000 pounds. That includes marlin, opah, mahi mahi. But there's not much tuna.
"It's going to be interesting this year. I'm hoping we get tons and tons coming in. But we need to start soon."
Exporters, local restaurant distributors and wholesalers/retailers are competing for the available 'ahi, said Bob Fram of Garden and Valley Isle Seafood Inc.
"If we get six boats bringing in 125,000 pounds total catch of 'ahi in the next couple days, I think the prices will stay firm and be workable," Fram said. "There's a lot of pressure and stress because everyone in the industry is having heavy demands."
Buyers have to make something of a gamble in deciding when, and how much, to purchase.
Gary Ishimoto, vice president of Mike Irish's Diamond Head Seafood Co., decided to begin buying 'ahi during the week, figuring it might be tougher to get enough over the weekend while other wholesalers are waiting it out.
"We decided to buy some early for our customers, thinking it's better to have it in hand than not," said Ishimoto, who noted that the price at mid-week was 10 to 15 percent higher than the usual winter rate because of the short supply. "Everyone is trying to outsmart each other. You have captains at sea gambling on trying to catch more and trying to make it back in a three days or heading back with less than a full load to get here in time."
It's fairly common for 100,000 or more pounds of 'ahi to be auctioned per day on the two preceding days before Dec. 31, Ishimoto said.
"If you get 100,000 pounds per day, it'll keep the prices affordable," Ishimoto said. "Anything less than that, in general, will drive it up."
Retailers, meanwhile, know 'ahi will be available and it'll be sold, no matter what the price.
"We never know how much they catch until the boats come in," said Brian Yamamoto, manager of Yama's Fish Market. "They want to catch as much as they can. The important thing for us is not quantity but the quality of the catch. Individual boats take care of the catch differently."
Mel Tanioka, owner of Tanioka's Seafood & Catering, has been doing business for 23 years. Based on the amount of 'ahi available at Christmas, Tanioka is anticipating a shortage for New Year's.
Half the 'ahi he sells for New Year's is pre-ordered by long-time customers, Tanioka said. Depending on the situation, the price for premium 'ahi can fetch $30 a pound.
"We offer our customers alternatives and most will go along with our suggestion," Tanioka said.
Aside from premium, medium and regular grades of fresh 'ahi, Tanioka's has a frozen tuna alternative that was selling for $13.95 a pound at Christmas.
"The frozen alternative is from the Philippines and Japan and there are three or four different grades," he said. "It's not bad for sashimi."
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com
