“Hawaii’s longline fishery traces its roots back to 1917 when Japanese immigrants introduced ‘flagline’ fishing to Hawaii. Flaglining involved a long mainline made of sections of tarred rope set horizontally in the water, with multiple leaders and baited hooks, suspended by multiple floats with flags; hence the name ‘flagline’.”
Eventually, “the flagline vessels converted to modern monofilament mainline, line setters and large hydraulically powered reels. The fishery became known as ‘longline.’” (HawaiiSeafood)
The Hawaii longline fleet is comprised of about 150 vessels that target pelagic fish; they may go about 1,000 nautical miles from Honolulu to fish.
Pelagic is derived from Ancient Greek πέλαγος (pélagos) ‘open sea’; it refers to the open, free waters away from the shore, where marine life can swim freely in any direction unhindered by topographical constraints.
The longliners are typically targeting the pelagic bigeye and yellowfin tuna (ahi) (with deep sets – ie hooks are set deeper in the water) and swordfish/marlin (shallow-set).
“Primarily due to catch from Hawaiʻi pelagic fisheries, Honolulu consistently ranked in the top 12 US ports for revenue from 2010 to 2019, ranking 9th in 2019. It is the center of the Hawaiʻi commercial fishing and seafood industry.” (NOAA)
“The pelagic fishery is the largest of Hawaiʻi commercial fisheries. From 2008 to 2019, pelagic species accounted for approximately 84% of the total value and 66% of the total volume of the Hawaiʻi seafood market.” (NOAA)
“‘The commercial fishing industry is the largest food producer in the state,’ says [Frank] Goto [of United Fishing Agency]. ‘We’re really 80%-90% of the local production of food in the state, so if we’re talking about food security, we’re the most important industry. Fresh fish is not only a cultural staple here,’ he adds, ‘it’s also an economic necessity.’” (Mossman)
“Hawaiʻi contributed between 30% and 47% of national tuna landings and accounted for 49% to 63% of national tuna revenue. Hawaiʻi produced between 86% and 95% of national bigeye tuna landings and revenue from 2008 to 2019, respectively.”
“Hawaiʻi contributed between 38% and 67% of national yellowfin tuna landings over the study period and accounted for 38% to 76% of national yellowfin tuna revenue. Hawaiʻi also provided between 22% and 48% of the nation’s swordfish landings and between 20% and 41% of the national swordfish revenue from 2008 to 2019.”
“Hawaiʻi residents consume two to three times more seafood per capita than the continental U.S. population, mostly as fresh and frozen finfish.” (NOAA)
“Our results show that Hawaiʻi exports a low share of its pelagic landings, indicating that the primary market is domestic. The majority of pelagic landings seem to be consumed locally, while the relatively lower unit prices of imports and higher unit prices of exports reveal that Hawaiʻi is able to maximize its potential earnings from pelagic landings to further support its economy.” (NOAA)
“In other parts of the world, fishermen sell their fish to wholesalers who generally dictate prices. The United Fishing Agency came up with a better way that allows the independent fishermen to sell their catch at a fair price …”
“… and, in turn, enables auction buyers representing the wholesale, retail and restaurant sectors to get the freshest fish. Open competitive bidding rewards higher quality fish with higher prices.” (HawaiiSeafood)
“Wholesalers and retailers bid against each other at these auctions. Often street truck-peddlers will form a hui to buy one 150-200-pound fish which they split later.” (SB, Dec 11, 1954)
“‘The commercial fishing industry is the largest food producer in the state,’ says Goto, who also serves as assistant vice president of United Fishing Agency, the entity that runs the auction and is celebrating its 70th year in business.”
“The majority of fish are sold individually. This competition continues until all the fish are sold. Up to 100,000 pounds of fish can be auctioned in a day. Buyers are invoiced for their purchases by United Fishing Agency and fishermen are paid that day for their fish.” (HawaiiSeafood)
About 80% of the Hawai‘i Longline fleet’s fish are sold locally, 18% is sold on the continent and about 2% is exported. (Hawai‘i Longline Assn)
When I was at DLNR, I had the opportunity to experience the fish auction firsthand. A couple owners of several longline boats wanted me to have a firsthand experience. It was memorable. What happened next was unexpected, but it helped illustrate the diversity of local fish marketing and distribution.
We left the auction and went to a non-descript multi-story building in lower Kalihi. They wanted me to see how some of the auctioned fish make it onto plates in restaurants on the continent.
We entered to see a phonebank of folks on phones. As the auction was taking place, this company’s buyer representative messaged to this phone crew details of what he bought. These folks were calling their restaurants customers they deal with on the continent to let them know what was available.
The restaurants customized their orders (by fish kind and weight the needed). In another room in the building some of the day’s auction purchases had already arrived and workers were cutting and packaging the custom orders. Then, they were air shipped out.
When dinner time came, customers at the mainland restaurant, oblivious to the timing, coordination and logistics of making it happen, ordered the ‘fresh catch’ and it was prepared and plated. (It is an interesting process that allows folks to experience the fresh fish of the Islands.)
Speaking of pelagic fisheries, I was honored when President Bush appointed me to serve as one of the five US Commissioners to represent the US interests on the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), an international fisheries Commission that seeks to manage highly migratory fish stocks (tuna, billfish, marlin …) in the western and central Pacific.
I was also honored to serve as a member of Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council (WESPAC) – initially, representing the State of Hawai‘i, then, a term as an at-large member on the Council. WESPAC, one of eight US Regional Councils, is charged to manage fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ – generally 3- to 200-miles offshore) of US interests.
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