Shoppers at Tamashiro Market in Kalihi stood Tuesday before glass display coolers filled with tuna marked at up to $29.95 a pound for premium grade 'ahi and paused, as if working up nerve.

When one customer stepped up to buy 2.7 pounds of fish, the woman standing beside her gasped aloud when the scales calculated the price at $80.57.

Another customer asked a meat cutter whether 'ahi bought Tuesday would keep until New Year's Day. He was advised to come back Wednesday. The man requested a price check on a 5.3-pound piece of 'ahi. After eyeing the total — $159.63 — he walked away empty-handed.

Thus, the annual sashimi dilemma plays itself out this season. Those who fish the sea predict the supply should be adequate this year. Those on the demand side of the equation — who serve thin slices of the raw fish to guests on New Year's — seem resigned to paying more than they would normally for the traditional holiday delicacy.

Auction officials said demand this year appears to be on par with last year. But Wednesday, New Year's Eve — customarily the biggest day of the year for purchasing all things sashimi — will determine whether sales are up or down from 2007.

As in seasons past, supply and demand reach critical mass moving into New Year's Eve. Tuesday's premium 'ahi prices remained in the $14.95 to $29.95 per pound range — although the high end tends to escalate later in the day as 'ahi supplies diminish.