From boat to buyer, see how fish auction works

Six days a week Guy Tama­shiro, vice president of Tama­shiro Market, rises at 4:30 a.m. to make it to Pier 38 in time for the start of the Hono­lulu Fish Auction. Tama­shiro has been the head fish buyer for his family’s business for 40 years, and he knows the routine well.

Along with 25 to 30 other buyers, he inspects the day’s catch, which has been weighed and evaluated for quality and safety before being displayed on the auction floor. Bar-coded tags on each fish provide pertinent information, including species, weight and the name of the boat that caught it.

Promptly at 5:30 a.m., the auctioneer rings a bell, and bidding begins on ahi (bigeye tuna), aku (skipjack tuna), ono (wahoo), mahi­mahi (dolphinfish), kajiki (blue marlin) and much more.

"If there’s not too many fish, I’ll be back at the store in half an hour," Tama­shiro said. "If there’s lots of good fish, I’ll be at the auction for seven or eight hours. We sell our fresh fish directly to customers as fillets, poke and entrees for plate lunches. They can also buy smaller fish like ehu, onaga and opaka­paka whole."

Buyers at the auction can snap up more than 100,000 pounds of fish in a day. A few of them are roadside peddlers. A handful more, including Tama­shiro, represent local markets and restaurants. The majority are wholesalers who supply stores, supermarkets and restaurants across Hawaii and the mainland.

During a guided 90-minute tour, early risers can experience all the action at the Hono­lulu Fish Auction firsthand. Started by the United Fishing Agency in August 1952, the auction holds the distinction of being the only fish auction between Tokyo and Maine and the only one that sells fresh tuna in the United States.

Veterinarian John Kaneko, program director of the Hawaii Seafood Council (see sidebar), usually leads the tour, which begins at the dock where longline fishing boats moor and unload their catch. These vessels operate between 50 to 200-plus miles off Hawaii shores (except for protected areas) and produce the vast majority of the state’s commercially landed fish, including ahi, prized for sashimi, and swordfish, popular for grilling.

According to Kaneko, Hawaii’s longline fishery is one of the most closely studied and best-managed fisheries in the world. Longliners based at Hono­lulu Harbor must be registered and follow strict regulations to prevent overfishing and to reduce the impact on protected species such as leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles.

To that end, no nets are used; all fish are caught with hooks and lines. In addition, the boats are tracked by GPS, skippers must keep rec­ords of what’s caught and, to further ensure compliance, the fishery participates in the most intensive federal observer program in the Pacific. Federal observers go on all of the swordfish and 20 percent of the tuna fishing trips leaving from Hawaii.

"No foreign boats can fish in the exclusive American economic zone, which extends 200 miles from Hawaiian shores," Kaneko said. "U.S.-flagged boats can fish outside that zone in international waters, but they still must comply with federal and international laws. Fisheries management — regulating when, where, how and how much fishermen are allowed to harvest — ensures we’ll have fish to eat in the future."

As tour participants view boats from the dock, Kaneko explains what the crews’ workdays are like, how their equipment is used and the steps that are taken to preserve fish quality. The key is keeping fish calm and cold because they’re coming from that type of environment.

"If you fight a tuna too long to bring it in, its temperature will rise," Kaneko said. "This speeds up quality changes. The faster you chill a fish in ice and the more gently you handle it, the higher the quality you’ll get. The shelf life for most fish is established by the time you’ve got them on board."

Inside the auction facility are hundreds of ice-covered fish, organized by about 20 different species. The auctioneer moves fish by fish down the rows of pallets, surrounded by buyers. The open bidding system enables fishermen to get fair prices for their catch based on quality and market supply and demand. Premium ahi can go for more than $20 per pound; around New Year’s a few years ago, an onaga went for a rec­ord $50 per pound.

Samples cut from each fish enable buyers to judge its quality before the auction starts. Desirable characteristics include a firm texture; clear, bright red flesh; and high fat content.

"Fish fat is healthy fat, so the more of it, the better," Kaneko said. "It contains omega-3 fatty acids for heart and brain health, and it tastes great."

Hawaii’s ocean fisheries are essential to island culture, traditions, economy and food self-sufficiency. Local people eat nearly 40 pounds of fish per person per year — close to three times the national average.

"We hope tour participants gain a deeper appreciation for the hardworking fishermen and fishery managers who keep our fisheries sustainable," Kaneko said. "Only with their commitment to responsible harvesting can we be assured that the fresh, safe, high-quality fish on our plates today will be there for us to enjoy tomorrow."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.