Saving Seafood

What’s driving ahi costs up? And when will they go back down?

September 17, 2020 — Yellowfin tuna, or ahi, is harder to find right now, and when you do catch it at the market or your favorite poke shop, it is going to cost more– at least for another month or so. There are a number of reasons for the current ahi shortage.

Whether you like it sashimi style, blackened or with shoyu and onions in your poke, ahi is a local favorite. But according to United Fishing Agency Auction Fishing Manager Mike Goto, “Supply is not meeting the demand.”

“Today’s auction was still a little bit light on volume comparatively to a normal time, pre-COVID. And that’s kind of been the trend lately over the past two or three weeks,” Goto said.

Several factors come into play. The first is that catch rates are typically lower this time of year as ahi move closer to the West Coast–driving up the cost for fishing vessels.

Mike Lee, VP of Sales and Operations of Garden and Valley Isle Seafood, said the added costs of vessels having to travel farther for fish make fishermen think twice about going out.

Read the full story at KHON

Whole Foods drops Hawaii fish auction until it proves fair boat labor

September 14, 2016 — Whole Foods has suspended buying fish from the Hawaii fish auction amid concerns over the labor practices of some fishing vessels.

It’s an issue Always Investigating first reported on back in 2013 and is now getting national attention.

Fishermen describe horrid working conditions, rock bottom pay, and even allegations of international crew captivity aboard some of the boats that dock at Honolulu Harbor.

Industry watchers say the Whole Foods move could be just the first of many, and the fish auction is already working on a system to weed out vessels with unfair labor practices.

Telling Always Investigating they have “zero tolerance for human rights abuses,” Whole Foods said Tuesday: “We have suspended purchases of the small amount of fish we source from the Hawaiian seafood auction until we can ensure the working conditions on these boats align with our core values.”

Whole Foods may call it “small,” but it’s a big deal down on the docks.

“We’d hate to lose such a prominent customer as Whole Foods,” said United Fishing Agency’s auction manager Michael Goto. “To rekindle that relationship, to get them back on board saying we respect the Hawaii fleet enough that we can bring their product back into our stores and sell it to our customers with confidence, that’s our goal.”

Sources say other major retailers are weighing the same move.

“We hope that Whole Foods’ action to directly address the labor abuses will start a domino effect,” said Kathryn Xian of the Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery.

Read the full story at KHON