Posted on: Tuesday, July 17, 2001
Well-known Big Island fish auction plans to close
By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
HILO, Hawai'i — The Suisan Co. Fish Auction Market near Hilo Bay made it through two deadly tsunamis, but will not survive a flood of government paperwork that company officials said is forcing the operation to close after nearly 95 years in business.
The decision to shut down the auction and wholesale fish market after Saturday follows a spot three-day inspection last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which warned Suisan of numerous recordkeeping violations.
Rather than fight federal enforcement and risk damaging the reputation of the family-owned business, Suisan President Rex Matsuno said he would just quit, although the company's other wholesale and retail enterprises will continue.
"It will tarnish all these years of hard work," Matsuno said. "We went through two tsunamis (in 1946 and 1960) but this thing is too big for us."
The auction and wholesale market has operated six days a week since 1907, giving an estimated 100 Big Island fishermen a place to sell their catch and providing a supply of fresh fish to hotels, restaurants and stores. It also was a must-see Hilo tourist attraction, visited by royalty and countless others.
Fishermen who used to go to the Suisan auction will now have to take their catch to the Hilo Fish Co. on Holomua Street in the industrial area, or sell it themselves on the street.
Hilo Fish Co. spokesman Steven Corpuz said the company is considering a new fish auction site but he did not say where.
Suisan officials said the FDA regulations imposed a "tremendous recordkeeping burden that unreasonably increased the cost of operating the Fish Auction Market."
Among other things, the company was upset that an FDA inspector cited Suisan for failing to verify data provided by fishermen about their catch, such as time of landing, estimated time of death, cooling method and rate of cooling.
In a written statement, Suisan officials said the rules "shifted the burden of monitoring the safety of seafood away from the government inspectors and into the laps of seafood processors like Suisan."
"It did not matter that the popular ika-shibi (hand line) method of fishing that is predominant on the Big Island brought the freshest and most wholesome fish to the marketplace."
FDA officials could not be contacted to comment.
Two longtime fishermen said the federal regulations are unreasonably rigid.
"This is a lifestyle they are trying to kill. No one is going to die from eating Hawai'i-caught fish," said John Romero, who has spent the last 47 years as a commercial fisherman.
Both Romero and 30-year fisherman Calvin Hamada said the closing of the Suisan auction and wholesale market won't keep them from heading out to sea.
"That's what I do for a living," shrugged Hamada.
Suisan will continue operating its retail fishmarket on Lihiwai Street and its large import and wholesale food supply business.
General Manager Glenn Hashimoto said the company hopes to find other work for the auction's 12 employees.
