KAHULUI - Local fish market owners agree there is an ample supply of sashimi this year.
But they disagree when it comes to prices, as some say fish is cheaper this year than last while others say prices are still running high.
On Tuesday, prices ranged from $18 per pound for grade 2 ahi sashimi to $22.99 per pound for grade 1, the highest grade.
Elisa Garcia, owner of Oki's Seafood Corner at Foodland in Kahului, said prices are low.
"It's down this year compared to last year."
Garcia said she's selling grade 2 ahi sashimi at $18 per pound and had ordered 400 pounds of the popular ahi fillet from a Honolulu wholesaler.
Without divulging prices, Garcia also said wholesale fish prices are cheaper this week, less than during Thanksgiving.
At Eskimo Candy Seafood Market & Cafe in Kihei on Tuesday afternoon, co-owner Victoria Hansen said she had just spoken to local fishermen who said they will be bringing in lots of top grade ahi today.
But she said during the New Year's holiday, when demand is high, prices are also high for fish market owners who must pay fishermen what they ask.
"The ahi prices, they are not cheap, that's for sure," she said.
Hansen said she couldn't predict today's ahi prices, but expected it to be around $20 per pound for grade 1 ahi. But she expects the fish to be top quality as she has seen some of the best-looking ahi in the past few days.
Ahi is favored for sashimi, or slices of raw fish that are dipped into a soy sauce mixture, sometimes with hot mustard or wasabi, a Japanese horseradish. The fish is eaten as an appetizer or served as a dish at meals and is a New Year's tradition for many local families.
One of Garcia's customers, chef Mark Ellman, said fish prices are "not bad" on Maui this year. Ellman checked prices on Oahu and said prices are higher there.
On Tuesday, Ellman was buying whole moilua, a type of goat fish typically served whole steamed or fried for his Mala Lahaina and Mala Wailea restaurants. The fish was selling at $9.99 per pound.
Ellman said his customers enjoy eating fish dishes to celebrate the new year. He was planning to wok fry the moilua.
At the Miyaki Fish Market in Lahaina, prices were at $22.99 a pound for top grade ahi.
Owner Kim Miyaki, a Lahaina fisherman, said he couldn't tell if prices were higher than last year as he just opened his business in June.
He said he was planning to go out on his boat to catch more New Year's fish Tuesday night.
In addition to ahi, Miyaki said he also has sakuraboshi, or sun-dried and seasoned ahi, as well as other types of fish. He also makes several types of poke (raw fish chopped into cubes or bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt, green onions, onions and condiments such as soy sauce and wasabi). Poke at Miyaki's is selling at $10.99 per pound.
Hansen was also expecting her poke, mahimahi, shrimp, king crab legs and kalbi ribs to be top sellers for the new year.
Poke at Eskimo Candy was priced at $8 per pound. The shop offers different varieties such as shoyu poke, spicy tuna and wasabi style.
Garcia had several different types of poke priced at $7.99 per pound. Her ahi sashimi large plates were $18 and smaller plates were $9. She said she brought in the same amount of ahi fillet as she did last year.
On Tuesday, she was not close to selling out yet.
"I need people to buy," she said smiling.
Although the economy may be bad, Garcia was hoping her sales would be good.
"Christmastime we did good. Hopefully it's going to be the same," she said.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.
