Aging fleet behind
decline in aku catch
The haul is down 6.5 percent from
By Jerry Tune
1996, and netted 9.2 percent
less money
Star-BulletinHawaii fisherman caught 1.72 million pounds of aku last year, a decrease of 6.5 percent from the 1.84 million pounds caught in 1996.
The 1997 catch value of the aku, also known as skipjack or striped tuna, was $2.17 million, a decrease of 9.2 percent from the value of $2.39 million in 1996, according to state figures.
"The drop-off in landings were attributed to the sinking of one fishing vessel in September 1997, and several other fishing vessels that did not fish the entire year due to mechanical problems or repairs," said William Devick, acting administrator of the division of aquatic resources at the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The results last year reflect the aging tuna boat fleet in Hawaii but state officials at the Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism say they are hopeful that new boats will be built to go after an abundant supply of aku.
In 1996, the Hawaii aku catch increased 21 percent and the average catch value increased 41 percent. That was the year an improved tuna boat the Nisei started fishing.
If new tuna boats are constructed, state officials see a potential for a return to historical aku catch levels of 10 million pounds a year, worth about $15 million.
The Nisei is the first tuna boat built in Hawaii since 1948. It has a steel hull while the five other tuna boats in Hawaii are made of wood and are aging.
Charlie Pires, president of Hawaii Tuna Inc., said the 78-foot-long Nisei can hold 20,000 pounds of fish.
"Instead of flooding the local market, we can send the leftovers to Japan," Pires said.
The Nisei uses a new tuna boat design featuring a trampoline that bounces the aku into a brine tank where they are cooled.
Aku put in the brine tank, at 30 degrees, can be kept fresh on its way to the United Fishing Agency auction at Kewalo Basin.
"We can get 20 cents to a $1 more (a pound than others)," Pires said.
Pires said he went to Japan to look at aku boats, picked up a few ideas, and also was helped on the design by the state Department of Business Economic Development & Tourism. The state's consultant came up with the idea of the trampoline to prevent bruising and damage to the aku when they were hauled onto the hard deck.
Aku normally has a relatively short shelf life of four or five days, but with the new boat the fish have a shelf life up to seven to 10 days that is required for shipment, Pires said.
The new tuna boat cost about $800,000 to construct in 1996. Pires hasn't built any others since then but says he might build another boat in a year or two.
"The market is there for a half dozen tuna boats in Hawaii," he said.
The fishermen like the Nisei because it has air conditioning, showers, a stove and other features.
The old wooden boats don't have these amenities, he said.
Pires built the ship at his Honolulu Marine Kewalo Shipyard on Ahui Street in Kakaako.
