July 8, 2024 — It’s summertime in Hawai‘i: ‘Ahi season, when Pacific yellowfin tuna traditionally run at their greatest numbers in island waters.
A cadre of Kaua‘i and Big Island fishermen are set this year to do more than simply catch ‘ahi – an iconic, torpedolike tuna important to local culture and cuisine. They will trial first-of-their-kind tags intended to change how fish are studied.
Lifelong Kaua‘i fisherman Cory Nakamura has caught at least one ‘ahi per year since first stepping foot on a boat at the age of 5. He is participating because he wants to ensure future generations can grow up doing the same.
“We would like to continue this culture and lifestyle … We always celebrate having some fresh fish around,” said Nakamura, the principal of Elsie H. Wilcox Elementary in Līhu‘e, who worked as a part-time commercial fisherman during his early teaching days. “It’s going to take some science and some good habits to sustain the availability of fish in the future.”
The Hawai‘i ‘ahi fishery is neither overfished nor subject to overfishing, according to NOAA Fisheries. But there is much to learn about the species in Hawai‘i waters. Its annual migration routes, spawning grounds and connectivity to tuna elsewhere in the Pacific are not well documented.