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No ahi? Low supply, high demand impacting Hawaii poke shops

Poke nachos from Poke On Da Run
Source: Hawaii News Now

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Local poke and seafood shops are finding themselves in short supply of ahi, leading to a spike in prices for consumers.

Some shops are having to turn away customers as retailers opt to either not sell ahi products due to the high prices, or close up shop completely.

Hamada General Store in Honolulu announced they were pulling ahi products from their menu for the time being until prices dropped. Poke On Da Run in Pearl City closed two days last week because of the fish shortage.

During the pandemic, Goto estimates the local fishing industry lost upwards of $40 million in revenue. Now that restaurants and hotels are booming with business, some lost revenue has been recovered. But there isn’t enough fish being caught to meet that sudden demand.

Read more at Hawaii News Now