A feared year-end tuna shortage in Hawaii likely will be averted, meaning residents can eat their good-luck tuna at New Year’s as usual.
Officials earlier estimated the Hawaii-based longline fishing fleet would hit its annual bigeye catch limit for waters west of the islands around the end of November. That threatened to deprive the Hawaii market of its favorite fresh- caught tuna just as demand peaks for the holiday.
But the National Marine Fisheries Service now believes the boats will reach their limit sometime after Dec. 20, allowing the fleet to deliver bigeye through year’s end.
"For all intents and purposes, the market will still be receiving bigeye tuna through the end of the year," said Michael Tosatto, deputy regional administrator for the fisheries service in Honolulu.