Imported Tunas and Pilot Study on Impact to Hawaii Fresh Tuna Market Minling Pan, Ph.D. Timothy Ming Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center November 29, 2004
Research Background Imported tuna has increased recently and competes with local fishing industry (based on industrial observations) First look at foreign trade to Honolulu
Types of Imported Tunas to Honolulu (1989-2003 Average) FROZEN ATC - IN/NOT IN OIL 23% 20% Data Sources: U.S Customs Direct imports from foreign countries 57% of imported tunas were fresh FRESH 57%
Fresh Imported Tunas to Honolulu (1989-2003) 1,800,000 1,600,000 1,400,000 NSPF 1,200,000 Bluefin Pounds 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000-1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 Albacore Skipjack Bigeye & yellowfin Among fresh imported tunas, mainly yellowfin & bigeye Declined since 1993 (except 2001 & 2002 went up)
Fresh Tunas Supply to Hawaii, 1989-2002 (Landings + Imports) 14,000 12,000 Landings Imports 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000-1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1,000 pounds Year
Frozen Imported Tuna to Honolulu (1989-2003) 800,000 Pounds 700,000 600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000-1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 Bluefin Albacore NSFP Skipjack yellowfin & bigeye Among frozen tunas, only small % of yellowfin/bigeye, mainly skipjack Imports declined since 1990, only one high year (2001) for yellowfin & bigeye
What was causing the increase of imported tunas in local markets? Frozen yellowfin used for poke poke and sashimi sashimi cube (poke( poke) steak or fillet (sashimi( sashimi) Foreign owned ocean containers ships do not stop in Honolulu (Johnson Act) Imported tunas transshipped to Honolulu from Los Angeles, and San Francisco through Matson or Sealand container ships
Frozen Yellowfin/Bigeye Imports to LA (1989-2003) 7,000,000 6,000,000 5,000,000 Pounds 4,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 Bigeye Yellowfin - 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 Imported frozen yellowfin/bigeye increased to LA Up from nearly 0 to 3 million lbs
Frozen Yellowfin/Bigeye to SFS 500,000 450,000 400,000 350,000 300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000-1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 Bigeye Yellowfin Increase from 0 to half million pounds within 5 years
CO/TS Treated Seafood History Japan producers began using CO to treat tuna 15 years ago U.S. received first shipment of CO treated tuna in early 90s 2000 U.S. FDA approved TS as generally regarded as safe Japan banned CO use for tunas. Canada and European countries banned CO for all seafood About 20-30 containers (40 ) of TS treated frozen tuna imported into the US monthly (IntraFish Industry Report, 2003) 7 10 million lbs a year to U.S.
Study the Impact to Local Markets No official statistics on imports to Hawaii Transshipments No clear code (Harmonized System Code) for TS treated tuna A Pilot Study from consumer side Popularity in market Consumer knowledge and awareness Field testing questionnaires
Retail Market Report Ahi Poke How common TS is in our markets FISH RETAIL (SUPERMARKET) TS treated Price FOODLAND - Kapiolani St. Yes $ 6.99 STAR - King St. Yes $ 7.99 TIMES - King St. Yes $ 5.99 SAFEWAY - Beretania St. Yes $ 6.99/5.99 COSTCO No N/A DAIEI Yes $ 4.77 FOODLAND - BERETANIA Yes $ 6.99 TAMASHIRO'S MARKET - N. KING Yes $ 4.98-5.95 MARUKAI - WARD Yes $ 6.59 *Table based on visitations on June 22, 2004
Popularity of TS treated Ahi Poke in Local Markets Two dollars difference between TS/CO treated and local fresh Ahi Poke Holiday price is even lower: Ahi Poke $4.99/lb Long shelf life of TS/CO treated Ahi Poke Constant & adjustable supply Freshly made Low labor costs to prepare Consumer may not be aware of the differences in the two products
PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF SURVEY Price is an indicator of the presence of consumption for Tasteless Smoke Ahi Poke How Much Do You Pay For Your Ahi Poke? Price $4.00-$6.99 Frequency 28 None 6 $7.00-$10.99 Varies None Total 26 2 6 62 Price (Per Pound) Varies $7.00-$10.99 $4.00-$6.99 2 26 28 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Number of Respondents
PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF SURVEY About 77% consumers claim that they have not purchased Tasteless Smoke treated products before H ave Y ou E ver Purchase T S A hi Poke B efore? N umber o f R espo ndents 50 40 30 20 10 0 47 14 1 Yes No No respons e
PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF SURVEY Most respondents did not realize that carbon monoxide is an active ingredient of Tasteless Smoke Do You Know That the Active Ingredient in TS is CO? Knowledge ofts having CO? Yes No Total Frequency 15 47 62 No 47 Yes 15 0 10 20 30 40 50 Number of Respondents
Future Study Plan Investigate consumer s knowledge and preferences for TS treated versus local fresh tunas Market and consumer survey Conjoint analysis Monitoring Transshipments