LIHU‘E — Fishers and marine scientists are continuing a years-long investigation of local fisheries’ most important catch as the season winds down.
Little is known about the movements of local ahi, or yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), outside of near-coastal Hawaiian waters, where they gather during the summer.
That knowledge is needed to ensure the now-common fish stays that way, according to University of Massachusetts Professor Molly Lutcavage. She and two other research scientists are currently studying the ahi with the nonprofit Pacific Island Fisheries Group.
“If you don’t know the most-basic information, like where they travel, what’s their migration route, where are they likely spawning, how can you manage this fish and make sure that they’re going to be sustainably fished going into the future?” Lutcavage asked.
The Kaua‘i project began with the deployment of data-collecting satellite tags on 19 adult ahi between 2014 and 2017, which resulted in a paper published in 2020. Findings included unexpectedly complex movement patterns among tagged ahi, with some making long
journeys throughout the Pacific.
Local fishermen have continued to deploy small batches of grant-funded tags since then, with five going out in June.
Kevin De Silva helmed this past summer’s tagging aboard his boat Yukie-Lynn, with hopes of understanding the fish that makes up 80% of his income.
“I’m interested in what the fish does and where it goes and see what the patterns are,” De Silva said. “Because nobody really knows right now what the fish does out there.”
Meanwhile, the fishers’ collaborators are readying plans to increase the market value of Kaua‘i-caught ahi.
The fledgling project, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, stems from seven years’ worth of conversations between scientists and boat captains. Consistent concerns included the low price of locally caught ahi, despite its freshness, and market retailers’ reliance on non-local fish.
“There is essentially a mismatch between the availability of high-quality fresh fish, demand from consumers and residents and tourists that want it,” Lutcavage said. “But yet, our Kaua‘i guys didn’t have many places to sell and to get fair price or to get a good price.”
The fishers’ dilemma is caused by multiple factors. When ahi arrive off the shores of Kaua‘i, they arrive in large numbers, causing a surplus. This drives the fish’s price down to $1 or $2 per pound, if it can be sold.
Simultaneously, hotels and restaurants have a vested interest in maintaining relationships with off-island suppliers who can provide ahi outside of the Kaua‘i season.
“After August or September, ahi here are gone for the most part, so you could see why the supply chain is frustrated,” Lutcavage explained. “They say, ‘Oh, wait a minute, I have to serve grilled ahi year-round at my restaurant or hotel so I gotta keep my business with the person that can supply it year-round for me.’”
Potential solutions include a community dock with rotating featured fishers and a certified commercial kitchen to access a broader customer base. A “micro-cannery” might be part of the answer, selling small tins of fresh-caught ahi.
These options and others will be explored sometime in the future, when visiting fishing experts plan to meet with Kaua‘i fishermen in a series of meetings throughout the island, to share information and discuss the next steps.
Until then, two of the tags released in June remain somewhere at sea. The work is stymied by a lack of substantial funding for the $4,000 tags, according to Lutcavage, who believes a minimum of 25 tags would be needed to conduct a good one-year study, due to hardware failure, predation and other contingencies.
The research scientist hopes the recent memory of rocketing ahi prices has spurred interest in the study of Hawaiian ahi and its fisheries. The coronavirus pandemic disrupted the foreign supply line, causing the per-pound price of fresh poke to soar into the double-digits in July.
“The supply chain for ahi is really important to the economic welfare of the Hawaiian islands and our visitor economy,” Lutcavage said. “We have an incredible supply of ahi around our islands. It’s time to focus on ahi, and I hope that we can make that case.”
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Scott Yunker, general assignment reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or syunker@thegardenisland.com.
