Hawai'i Fisheries Initiative - The Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs

due to the freshness of the fish when it
comes to market and careful on-board
handling. 67 Trollers share the burnt tuna
problem with handliners; charter boats
have a more difficult time with this issue
due to increased fight time using a rod
and reel – shorter fight times and faster
chilling equal better-quality fish. 68
Fishers have control over the
following factors:
u Freshness: length of the fishing trip and
at-sea handling of catch.
Seafood Quality Control and Safety
Fish marketability is dependent on many
factors, including a fish’s “shelf life,” which
is a judgment of quality parameters, such as
its intended use (sashimi, grilled, smoked,
etc.), grade, and the wholesomeness of the
fish, which is largely due to characteristics
of the particular species and on-board
handling. Longer shelf life plus high quality
equal high prices. Tuna caught by longline
are generally thought to be of higher
quality than tuna caught by other methods.
One reason is that the handline tuna fishery
struggles with “burnt tuna syndrome,”
thought to be related to the time a fish
fights on the line, which alters its body
chemistry and temperature. Burnt tuna’s
market options are limited; its quality suited
only to grilling. 66 Trolling is said to
produce the best quality mahimahi and ono,
u Initial handling: rough handling, dragging,
bending, or dropping ruins appearance,
and also causes loss of a fish’s firm
consistency and may cause cracking.
If fish are landed alive, they should be bled
immediately. Bleeding a fish, especially one
with red muscle tissue like tuna, removes
the iron and copper, which if not removed
promote oxidation and rancidity. Removal
through immediate bleeding extends shelf
life and marketability.
u If a fish is left for an extended period of
time after capture, the original bright body
colors will bleach, causing a loss of flesh
color and a decrease in quality.
u Chilling: After a fish is bled, it is submerged
in an ice-seater brine to bring down the core
temperature. After bleeding, and if a fish is
landed dead (often the case in longlining),
catch is individually stored on ice.
u Fishers can not control other factors
affecting fish quality, such as spawning.
Prior to spawning, most fish feed
voraciously and increase body-fat content,
20