The price of swordfish could go up because of the closure of longline swordfishing in Hawaii waters this week for the rest of the year.

But a side effect might be more ahi for sashimi and poke for the holidays because longliners switch to tuna, fish industry officials said.

Tamashiro Market Vice President Guy Tamashiro said the National Marine Fisheries Service’s decision to shut down longline swordfishing in Hawaii waters is not going to affect the local consumer market much, since most swordfish is shipped to the mainland.

Tamashiro said more longline fishing of ahi could be "a plus" for Hawaii consumers.

The decision Thursday to shut down swordfish longlining in Hawaii waters is not based on the supply of swordfish, but on a rule established by the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, in an effort to reduce the activity’s side effect of hooking endangered sea turtles.

The council has set the catch cap for leatherneck turtles in Hawaii waters at 16, believing any more captured during swordfish longlining in a single year would jeopardize the turtle species population.

Swordfish fishing may resume Jan. 1.

The last time the cap was met and swordfish longlining was closed was in March 2006.

Scott Barrow, owner of a swordfish longlining vessel, said he feels the cap placed on the turtles was arbitrary.

Barrow said the cap was based on the number of interactions with turtles, and that a number of hooked turtles are "de-hooked" and released.

Barrows said about one-third of the longliners in Hawaii catch swordfish, and the closure means they’ll be catching ahi.

He said the price of ahi will depend on the amount of ahi in Hawaii waters.

"If there’s fish out there, no problem," he said. "If there’s no fish out there, then there’s a big problem."