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July 10, 2025 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Pacific Bakery and Hotel

Pacific Bakey operated at 19 Kalakaua in Hilo, then … “Rumors widely current in the city to the effect that the Pacific Bakery is planning to transfer its field of operations to a larger structure on the vacant lot at the corner of Kalakaua and Keawe streets, are not denied by the management, although it does not wish to make a statement until final action is taken.”

“From other sources, however, it is learned that a prominent local Japanese merchant is preparing to build a two-story structure on this ground fronting Keawe street”.

“The plans have been under contemplation for a number of months, it is said, but they appear nearer fruition now than ever before.” (Hilo Daily Tribune. Oct 19, 1921)

“[T]he new two-story structure at the corner of Keawe and Kalakaua streets, which will be known as the ‘Pacific Building,’ will be rushed to completion”.  (Hilo Daily Tribune, Jan 11, 1922)

“The main business site will be occupied by the Pacific Bakery and Restaurant, the entrance to be on the corner of Keawe and Kalakaua streets, this concern to utilize the entire lower floor fronting on Kalakaua street and extending back to the police station. On the Keawe side there will be four additional business rooms available”.

“The Pacific Bakery and Restaurant rooms will occupy a space … divided in three sections, to accommodate the bakery and restaurant feature, dining room, kitchen, and workroom. The kitchen will be equipped with electric washing machines and other modern equipment.”   (Hilo Daily Tribune, Jan 11, 1922)

“On the second floor of the Pacific building there will be located 24 large, airy, well-lighted rooms for the accommodation of the general public, in connection with which there will be hot and cold water bathrooms for ladies and gentlemen.”

“The water for the bathrooms will be heated from a large tank in the bakery and carried to the upper floor by asbestos covered pipes. The entrance to the upper floor will be located about the middle of the building on the Keawe street side.”    (Hilo Daily Tribune, Jan 11, 1922)

“N. K. Takahashi is proprietor of the hotel as manager of the restaurant and bakery, all of which give employment to 29 people, including bakers, waitresses, cooks and other hotel employes.” (Hilo Daily Tribune, Nov 2, 1922)

“In the basement of the new structure, which was designed by F. Arakawa, local architect and civil engineer, provisions are made for a cold storage plant in connection with the restaurant and bakery, In which may be stored meats, eggs, butter, vegetables and other perishable food products.”

“Among the promoters and principal owners of the new bakery, restaurant and rooming house are K. Takahashi, T. R. Saiki, Y. Hata, S. Murakami and S. Kawasaki, the latter having the contract for the construction work.” (Hilo Daily Tribune, Jan 11, 1922)

It is one of the first businesses that developed the concept of a sidewalk cafe in downtown Hilo.  In 1924 the Hilo Library was a tenant on the first floor and in 1929 a bakery moved in at the corner of Keawe Street.

In order to be profitable for owner, tenants and the islanders/tourists have tried to have diverse businesses as tenants – to be a place to shop, eat, sit and meet.

Keawe Street is covered with a canopy so shopkeepers put tables and chairs outside, provide free internet and allow people an open-air dining experience. While customers are eating or doing work, some with their pets alongside, others are playing a music and singing, and making new acquaintances. The general feeling is uplifting and community centered. (HHF)

During the war, in a survey of structures, the Pacific Building was identified as one of downtown Hilo’s “approved shelters”, noting, the “spacious hall upstairs … can easily accommodate at least 200 comfortably without utilizing the rooms themselves.”

The “Recommended evacuation to this shelter is as follows: All occupants of Theo. H Davies & Co, offices and warehouses. All concerns on Keawe St extending for Paul’s Beauty Shop to and including the five residences … and from the Style Center (on the lower Keawe side) to and including Economy Motors.” (Hilo Tribune Herald, Jan 18, 1942)

The Pacific Bakery & Hotel was listed in the 1949 business directory and served as a gathering place for people travelling on the railroad tracks from Hāmākua and Kona, allowing them overnight eating and resting place, and a library for entertainment, and access to other businesses on the first floor. The commercial property has upkept its image as a community gathering place. (HHF)

Pacific Bakery was dissolved on September 10, 1954. (Hilo Tribune Herald, Sep 30, 1954) Later, the upper floor room rentals were monthly, as well as used by visiting sports teams for overnight accommodations; then, commercial office rentals took over up and down stairs.  The 2-story reinforced concrete Pacific Building still stands at the corner of Keawe and Kalakaua.

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Filed Under: Buildings Tagged With: Hawaii, Hilo, Pacific Hotel, Pacific Bakery, Pacific Building, Sidewalk Cafe

July 9, 2025 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Halo

“My father came from Shimane-ken in 1906 with his wife. Shimane ken is on the Japan Sea side below Tottori-ken. … My mother was his second wife and they were already married when they arrived.” (Hirose, HawaiiSwim)

“When I was young, I was a bit on the rascal side, a free spirit you might say. I grew up doing some crazy things. … [Kiyoshi] Nakama and I grew up together. We started swimming from around age 3 or 4. He was a prankster too, a Kodomo Taisho who never got caught. I was not so lucky.”

“He was a natural athlete, the best in any sport we played. He was quarterback in barefoot football, shortstop in baseball, forward in basketball (I was standing guard). We always won in the Maui community/school competitions. Except, one year Haiku beat us in barefoot football.” (Hirose, HawaiiSwim)

Takashi ‘Halo’ (pronounced ‘Hollow’) Hirose was one of the fastest swimmers in the world. (Nakama, Advertiser)

While he was a notable swimmer, in his youth he was not necessarily that great at baseball.  They put him in the outfield … when the ball came to him it went through him.  His friends gave him the nickname ‘Hollow.’

Fast forward to his adult life when he joined the Army … they asked him his name, he didn’t want to be known by some abbreviation of Takashi or other Japanese reference, so he wrote ‘Halo’ in the paperwork.  (He wasn’t a very good speller either.)  The name stuck.  (Sono)

“He learned to swim in the irrigation ditches of Maui’s Pu’unene’s sugar plantation, where his parents worked as laborers. Watching over him and the other kids was Soichi Sakamoto, one of their elementary school teachers.  Sakamoto knew nothing about swimming, but in time, he would come to be regarded as a coaching genius.”  (ISHOF)

At age 15, Hirose placed second in the 200-meter freestyle and fourth in the 100 free at the National AAU meet. Also that year, 1938, Hirose was a member of the United States’ 400-meter freestyle relay team that set a world record in Germany.  (Nakama, Advertiser) He earned a lot more accolades as he continued his swimming career.

“People say and write that swimming was our ticket out of the plantations, to go to college. That was what motivated us. But when we were in the water swimming, things like that never crossed our minds. We just swam and had fun until Coach came along. Then it was hard work every day.”  (Hirose, HawaiiSwim)

“Lacking formal swimming facilities that were reserved for only wealthy white men, Sakamoto would train his swimmers in the nearby irrigation ditches on the plantation and in the process develop revolutionary training techniques still in use today in competitive swimming.”

“[The] swimmers [were brought] to local, national, and international prominence, defying the racial odds stacked against them.” (Nakamura)

“Coach was a genius. One summer two college students who were swimming for the University of Hawaii swim team came home for the summer. Coach made a challenge to have us … swim against them. And he made sure the plantation bosses would be there as fans. …”

“I was still in 8th grade. But we trained very hard to win. When the time came for the big event, we gave it all we had and beat them right in front of everybody including the big bosses. Then, they built the second pool for us.” (Hirose, HawaiiSwim)

“Actually, [we lived] in Camp 5. That’s something really unusual. Four guys living as neighbors, making a relay team and breaking the national record. I don’t think anything like that has ever happened before even to this day.” (Hirose, HawaiiSwim)

The 1940 Olympics had been canceled because of World War II.  “When the war broke out in 1941, I volunteered for the army and got into the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.”

“Later, the 100th Battalion was short of men [and I] decided to volunteer to join the 100th… [O]ne day this major came to see me and said ‘You must be an important person, Division Headquarters want to see you.’ So I got dressed and his jeep took me up there.”

“When I got there, Captain Kometani was there, and he told me that they had made a call for all swimmers to sign up for the Allied Olympics in Rome. …[W]e all went to Rome for 45 days and had a great time.” (Hirose, HawaiiSwim)

After the war, Hirose enrolled at Ohio State University and became a three-time All-American for the Buckeyes. (Nakama, Advertiser)

“One of the highlights in my life was that trip to Egypt …. In June 1946, I left Ohio State University to go the Grand Prix in Paris where I was invited to compete in a swim event. There, I met an Egyptian Prince whose was chauffeured around in the #4 Royal Limousine.”

“His name was Prince Lazuli Ratib and he was a member of the fourth family in succession to the thrown occupied by King Farruk. He was there with the Egyptian team, a swimmer and a diver. We stayed at the same hotel and got along great.”

“After the Grand Prix, there was an exhibition swim event in Morocco that we had to participate in. From there, I was supposed to return to Paris for the trip back to the United States. But, the Prince invited me to visit Egypt so I happily joined them on their flight to Cairo.”

“When we got to Cairo, they took care of all my expenses and showed me all over Egypt. They showed me the pyramids, the sphinx and all those ancient things and places you read about in the history books. I had a great time and it was an education I will never forget. I stayed there for almost a couple of months.”

“When I finally got back to Columbus, Ohio, it was March 1948. More than eight months had elapsed on this trip and the OSU officials didn’t appreciate it. I had to be reprimanded for violating some NCAA rule on travel. I don’t remember the specifics of the rule, but the trip was a great experience that I’ll never forget.”  (Hirose, HawaiiSwim)

After earning his degree in 1949, Hirose did graduate work in California and eventually returned to Hawai’i, where he was assigned to the 1st Circuit Adult Probation Division. Hirose later became the state’s chief probation officer and retired in 1982. (Nakama, Advertiser) He died August 24, 2002.

For The Record, Halo achieved the following: 1938 National AAU Meet: 2nd (200m freestyle); 4th (100m freestyle); 1939 National AAU: 4th (100m freestyle); 1940 National AAU: 2nd (100m freestyle); 1941 National AAU: 1st (100m freestyle, 800m freestyle relay); 1940-44 Member of the Mythical Olympic Team, which was not able to compete due to the war…

1946 Big Ten: 1st (100yd freestyle), NCAA: 1st (100yd freestyle), Ohio State University: Won Big Ten, NCAA and AAU Team Championships, 3 Time All-American; 1987: Inducted into Ohio State’s Sports Hall of Fame; 2017: Inducted into International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF).

© 2025 Ho‘okuleana LLC

Filed Under: Prominent People Tagged With: Three Year Swim Club, Hawaii, Maui, Takashi Hirose, Halo Hirose, Swimming

July 8, 2025 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Origin of Species

Charles Darwin’s book, On the Origin of Species (1859,) introduced the scientific theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection.

The Galapagos Islands are associated with Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution; however, “(Hawaiʻi) is where modern evolution started, and people don’t know it.” (Jones, Star-Bulletin)

John Thomas Gulick did the first modern evolutionary study on Hawaiian land snails. Gulick discovered dramatic differences in snails in valleys only short distances apart and developed a theory about speciation, or new species emerging through evolution. (Altonn)

Gulick had been a collector of land snails since his teen years and became a convert to evolutionary thinking even before reading On the Origin of Species.

An acute observer, he noticed that many species and varieties of snails were often restricted to very geographically-limited ranges. (Smith)

He came “to place great emphasis upon every form of isolation or prevention of mingling, and also to emphasize the great significance for evolution of many factors that are of internal origin, such as the unknown intricacies of the process of heredity, and the effects of new choices made by the evolving creatures…” (Addison Gulick; Smith)

“In Manoa there were a number of kukui trees which were the favorite places of one species of the shells. A little beyond, in Makiki, a half mile or so, hardly that, there was a different species.”

“In Pauoa there was a still different species, while in Nuʻuanu there were landshells of allied form, but which had changed their habits, living on the hau trees in preference to the kukui trees, which were the favorites of the Manoa shells. This was in 1852 and 1853.”

“I knew that these shells didn’t come from Noah’s ark. They couldn’t have even come from the other islands. Right here in Manoa we had what you might call a special creation. In Makiki Valley we had another special creation. And yet we had every reason to believe that all were allied. (Gulick, Mid-Pacific Magazine, January 1912)

“I began to have the idea that I had found a place of creation. I found out that the shells had no ability to travel from valley to valley. Those which lived on ridges were diffused over a larger area, but would have perished in the valleys. Those in the valleys could not have lived on the ridges.”

“If heavy rains washed some down from the valleys to the plains, they died in a few hours, or a few days at the most. If they were washed out to sea, of course they did not live. We tried to keep Manoa Valley shells alive at the school, but could not do it. They were as completely isolated in each locality as if they had been on separate islands.” (Gulick, Mid-Pacific Magazine, January 1912)

Gulick was among the first to recognize the critical role for geographical separation in the diversification of ecologically similar Hawaiian land snails. His ideas were discussed by Darwin, as well as leaders in the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis who saw an important role for geographical isolation in speciation. (Rundell)

“Darwin’s book, ‘Origin of Species,’ was published in ‘59, the year I left college. My mind was ripe for it and had already got started on this subject. I accepted largely the theories of evolution. I accepted natural selection, but in addition I saw the necessity of isolation.” (Gulick, Mid-Pacific Magazine, January 1912)

Gulick’s theory of the species-differentiating effects of isolation was regarded by many as a more complete theory of speciation than Darwin’s and others as correcting a fundamental deficiency in Darwin’s theory, namely how groups of organisms diversify one from another.

With his concepts of cumulative segregation (geographical isolation), indiscriminate isolation (the Founder effect) and coincident selection (the Baldwin effect), we should recognize Gulick as one of the earliest and most original and innovative evolutionary biologists. (Hall)

Gulick extended his ideas to societal evolution in human beings. (Smith)

While a leading biologist, an interesting aspect of Gulick’s beliefs is that he was a son of a Hawaiʻi missionary, and was a missionary himself, going to China and Japan under the American Board of Commissions for Foreign Missions (ABCFM – the same organization who sponsored the Hawaiʻi missions.)

Gulick was born March 13, 1832, at Waimea, Kauai, son of Peter Johnson and Fanny (Thomas) Gulick. He first married Emily De la Cour September 3, 1864, at Hong Kong, China, who died in childbirth in 1875 (no children,) then remarried Frances A Stevens May 31, 1880, at Osaka, Japan (they had two children, Addison and Louise.)

Gulick continued a family tradition by attending theological school and then did missionary work in China and Japan for over thirty-five years. But he also carried on a parallel career as a naturalist and, somewhat strange to say, Darwinian evolutionist. (Smith)

One of the world’s foremost scientists, Gulick, peer of Darwin, whose theories he accepted and advanced, and while a missionary still espoused the cause of Darwin and added to the doctrine of evolution the theory of isolation. (Mid-Pacific Magazine, January 1912)

Later in 1905, Gulick returned to Hawaiʻi and sold his shell collection to Charles Montague Cooke, Jr the new curator of the Bernice P Bishop Museum. He remained there until his death, on April 14, 1923 in Honolulu. He and his second wife are buried in the Mission Houses cemetery.

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John Tomas Gulick circa 1858, age 25–26-Hall
John Tomas Gulick circa 1858, age 25–26-Hall
Origin_of_Species_title_page
Origin_of_Species_title_page
An engraving from 1847 of Gulick’s birthplace, Waimea, Kauai
An engraving from 1847 of Gulick’s birthplace, Waimea, Kauai
Tree snails on the trunk of a guava tree-Hall
Tree snails on the trunk of a guava tree-Hall
The head of Wailupe Valley on Oahu showing on the right the silvery foliage of groves of the kukui-Hall
The head of Wailupe Valley on Oahu showing on the right the silvery foliage of groves of the kukui-Hall
Gulick-Evolutionist and Missionary-Part_1-Hall
Gulick-Evolutionist and Missionary-Part_1-Hall
Retired evolutionist and missionary-John Gulick-Hall
Retired evolutionist and missionary-John Gulick-Hall
JohnThomasGulick gravestone-MissionHousesCemetery
JohnThomasGulick gravestone-MissionHousesCemetery

Filed Under: Prominent People, Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings Tagged With: Hawaii, Missionaries, Charles Darwin, John Thomas Gulick, Evolution

July 7, 2025 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Pan Am

The first scheduled airline in America started in January, 1914; Tony Jannus hauled one passenger 22 miles from Tampa to St. Petersburg, Florida. Losing money, the venture was discontinued after three months.

In 1925, Scadtka Air Lines was set up in Colombia by a World War I German military aviator. SAL planned to fly to Panama, Central America, Cuba and the US, transporting passengers and mail.

Under the leadership of Juan T Trippe, Pan American Airways was formed on October 28, 1927, Inc and began scheduled mail service between Key West and Havana. Passenger service started on January 16, 1928.

There were few aviation facilities in Latin America, only three weather stations and no aeronautical radio. A radio genius, Hugo Leuteritz joined the company in 1928, and Charles Lindbergh became the company’s Technical Director in 1929. That year, the company had four contracts, 44 multi-engine planes.

An expansion of major proportions began. Within 2-years Pan Am routes extended from Miami to Brazil and Buenos Aires, and from both Miami and Brownsville, Texas, via Central America to Panama.

Then attention was directed to the Orient. They chose a flying boat to safely and comfortably carry crew, passengers, mail and cargo, from California to the Orient and back again, over water on a regularly scheduled basis.

In October, 1931, Pan Am introduced the Sikorsky S-40 (four-engined flying boats,) the first American Clipper. Many new routes were opened by Lindbergh himself, and by then Leuteritz had completed a system-wide radio network, and equipped all aircraft with two-way radio.

Trippe put Hawaiʻi on the aviation map when he chose to use the Islands as a springboard to reach the Orient – stepping stone islands along the route upon which to light for servicing, passengers and rest. The route was fixed as San Francisco to Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Island, Guam, the Philippines, and then to China.

On January 1, 1935, Trippe sent his technical staff from the east coast to San Francisco to set up a Pacific base of operations. Two months later, an expedition team set up operations and flew the route from California to China

Less than eight months, Postmaster General James A. Farley and Trippe watched the China Clipper take off on the first airmail flight, by way of Hawaiʻi and the other islands, on to its Manila destination. (Farley called it “the greatest and most significant achievement in the marvelous, fascinating development of air transportation.”

Then on April 17, 1935, the Pioneer Clipper landed in Hawaiian waters, just 17-hours and 44-minutes from its Alameda, California, starting point. The next day it headed to the Philippines and the Orient.

On October 21, 1936, Pan American initiated regular six-day weekly passenger service between San Francisco and Manila via Honolulu.

In 1940 the world’s first pressurized airliner, Boeing 307 Stratoliner brought new, fast service to Latin America, augmented by new Douglas DC-3As throughout Latin America, Alaska, and China.

At the time of Pearl Harbor, Pan American operated on 88,500-route miles, serving 52 countries and had 8,750 employees, with 162 aircraft, 192 radio/weather stations and 300 airports. (During the WWII, Pan Am operated many services for the military and other branches of the government.)

In the postwar era, expansion resumed.

Pan Am re-opened its Pacific and Atlantic routes; and on June 17, 1947, Pan Am opened a new Round-the-World schedule, followed by the new ‘Jet Era’ in October 1958. The 747, a new ‘wide-body,’ started in 1970.

The 1970s soon brought major increases in fuel prices. Deregulation brought increased competition. At the same time, Pan American made a bid to link the United States and Japan via Alaska, by passing Hawaii in a “modernization of the Pacific air structure.”

In rapid succession, Pan American’s 50th anniversary on November 22, 1985 of their first flight across the Pacific was followed by the announcement of the sale of their routes west of the Islands to United Airlines and then the sudden closing of all operations in Hawaiʻi on April 26, 1986.

The tragedy of Lockerbie (the Scottish town where Pan Am flight 103 crashed following a terrorist bomb attack on December 21, 1988) was Pan Am’s deathblow. Pan Am was forced to declare bankruptcy on January 8, 1991 and ceased operations on December 4, 1991. (Lots of information here from hawaii-gov, Pan Am and Banning)

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Filed Under: Economy Tagged With: Hawaii, Pan American, Pan Am

July 6, 2025 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

From Ocean to Plate

“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.

© 2025 Ho‘okuleana LLC

Filed Under: Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks, Economy Tagged With: Hawaii, Fish Auction, Longline Fishing

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Images of Old Hawaiʻi

People, places, and events in Hawaiʻi’s past come alive through text and media in “Images of Old Hawaiʻi.” These posts are informal historic summaries presented for personal, non-commercial, and educational purposes.

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