Fest cast light on scope of seafood biz
By Nadine Kam
Nadine Kam photos
That’s one big mahimahi, or some other fine, two-finned mascot at the Hawaii Fish and Seafood Festival.
Hundreds of people headed to Pier 38 Oct. 11 for the 4th annual Hawaii Fish and Seafood Festival, a free event presented by the non-profit Pacific Islands Fisheries Group to introduce fishing enthusiasts to new products and services available to them, and remind all about ocean conservation issues, while enjoying a taste of the sea’s bounty.
Here’s a video with some of the sights:
Those who never get close to the source of a fish dinner took in the rare behind-the-scenes opportunity of boarding a longline fishing vessel, as well as strolling through the fish auction facility, icy cold for obvious reason and a welcome relief from the afternoon heat.
Going aboard the fishing vessel gave me a lot of appreciation for the crews who go out days at a time to bring back their fresh catch. The boats possess all the amenities of home, yet I imagine feels small and quite cramped with about 10 men on board. I get seasick with any movement, so all I can say is, thanks you guys for keeping us plied with fish for our poke, ovens and grills.
At Elmer Guzman’s Poke Stop booth, a lot of selections had sold out by 2:30 p.m.
There was plenty to taste for those who simply like to eat seafood. I got there rather late, after the lunch crowd had decimated many of the booths. By then, it was really hot so the idea of seafood outdoors wasn’t that appetizing. I moved into the air-conditioned comfort of Uncle’s for ahi tacos and fish-and-chips.
Lunch plates lined up at the Hukilau booth.
The Hawaii Longline Association hosted tours aboard this 85-foot F/V Zephyr with a hold capacity of 50,000 pounds of iced fish. The vessel’s average trip length is 21 days.
