Fish Auction

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this assignment is to expose you to one of the routes by which food gets into our city, the United Fishing Agency. You may also learn a bit about an industry that has a long history here.

INSTRUCTIONS: Visit the Honolulu fish auction (the United Fishing Agency) at its new location at Pier 38 (1131 N. Nimitz Highway) one morning, observe what goes on, and write a one page description of it. Weekday mornings are best (Saturdays are slower and Sunday I think generally not much is happening). Things get going early: the auction usually starts about 5:30 A.M., and fish are being brought-in before that. (So, you can do this before school.)

BE PREPARED. You need to wear closed-toe shoes and may want to take a jacket.

BE CAREFUL. Heavy things are moving around.

STAY OUT OF THE WAY. People are working and we're visitors.

THE REPORT: It should be a one or two page report describing what you found. You may want to include:

• your name, the class, and the observation assignment title in the upper right hand corner of the page.
• A paragraph introducing the fish auction and indicating what day and time you observed it.
• Several paragraphs describing it. What kinds of fish did you see? How is the auction run? What are the prices and weights for various fish? How do the prices compare to those in stores? How many pounds of fish were at auction the day you visited? (Check the white board on the mauka side to the room.) Any other things that daw your attention.
• A summary paragraph wraping it up.

Some Notes

The outline below was provided by Blake (or Brooks Takenaka ?) and the United Fishing Agency, to one of the students in Geog366 during the Fall 2003 semster. It is duplicated here to save the need for them to make and hand-out copies.

			UNITED FISHING AGENCY, LIMITED
				"The Fish Auction"

I.	Basic Prupose:  auction seafood, primarily fresh fish
	- sell fish on behalf of producers via auction on a
		commission basis
	- the producer is charged a percentage (usually 10%) of
		the gross sales for UFA services

II.	Daily Operations
	- auction starts at 5:30 AM, Monday through Saturday

III.	Who sells thruogh the auction?
	- Long-liners
		1. pelagic species, primarily tunas, marlins, and
		   by-catch
		2. swordfish, tunas and by-catch
	- Deep-sea bottomfish boats
	- Small boats
		1. Trollers
		2. bottom fishermen
		3. Akule/opelu
		4. Kona crab
		5. Neighbor island producers
		6. Imports
			a. tunas
			b. deep-sea bottomfish
			c. others

IV.	How do fish get to the auction?
	- UFA provides pickup service for long-line vessels
		UFA trucks pick up fish from the vessels at the
		pier and deliver them to the auction for weighing 
		and preparation (display) for the auction.
		1. Drivers starting time (early!)
		2. UFA has a 24-hour a day answering service.
			Upon docking, a representative from the
			vessel calls the service to report the
			time of returning, the location of docking,
			and an estimate of the catch.
		3. The vessels are offloaded in order of docking.

	- Pickup service for some ofhte deep-sea bottom fishing
	vessels especially the larger ones

	- Many of the small boat producres will deliver their own
	catch to the auction

	- Neighbor Island producers use the commercial air
	carriers to deliver to HNL and UFA will pickup from there.
		1. for imports, UFA will gather the necessary
		paperwork and documents to obtain US Customs clearance
		through a customs brokerage firm.
	 
V.	How are fish sold at auction?
	- the Long-line catch is sold first
	1. Tunas have been the priority species because of
	the value and volume, so pelagics are lined up first.
		a. Bluefin
		b. Bigeye
		c. Yellowfin
		d. Albacore
		e. Skipjack
	2. Marlins are next
		a. Striped
		b. Pacific Blue
		c. Black Marlin (occasionally)
		d. Short-nosed spearfish
	3. By-catch species are next
		a. Wahoo (Ono)
		b. Mahimahi
		c. Opah
		d. Monchong

	- Imported, Neighbor Island and local small boat pelagics
	follow the long-line catch.

	- Deep-sea bottomfish of local small boat, neighbor
	islands, and imports follow.

VI.	General support services by UFA
	- What does the fisherman get for his 10%?
	  (paid the day of the auction, not net 30 days)

	- Trucking service to pickup fish from vessels
	- Trucking service to deliver to buyers from auction

	- Services for imports
	1. Neighbor Islands
	2. Out of State
		a. communication/planning
		b. documentation
		c. customs clearance
		d. pickup, care, auction
		e. comments on quality, market conditions, etc
		f. payment and supporting information

	- Services for exports

	- Updates on related concerns, e.g. legislation, hearings, etc.

	- Promotion programs

	- Qualtiy control/ enhancemetn

	- Marketing/Networking

VII.	What is the future outlook?



Some contacts:

Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council	522-8220
HI State Dept of Aquatic Resuorces			????????