Mitsuo "Mits" Sakamoto's family continues a tradition begun by his grandparents, holding a New Year's Day open house at their Pearl City home.

Sakamoto is the first to admit that in the way of cooking — boiling ozoni, or mochi soup; rolling sushi; frying up noodles — he does "nothing."

But he plays a key role. He buys the 'ahi for sashimi, poke and sushi. It's his gift to the family, and the 10 or 15 pounds of various grades of 'ahi that he buys sets him back "plenny" every year.

"For sashimi, I buy the bes'. For sushi, second best. Poke, whatever," said Sakamoto, 63, a truck driver. He makes two special trips into town: the day before New Year's Eve, to check out supplies and prices, and early on New Year's Eve to buy.

"I take the cooler, fill 'em with ice. Bring 'em home to my wife. Then I'm pau," he said with a smile.

Will Sakamoto find what he's looking for this year, and will high-grade prices top $30 a pound, as they've done some years?

Shoppers could be hard-pressed to find the highest-grade 'ahi, which was being snapped up at $30.95 to $34.95 per pound.

Early birds might still be able to find lower-grade sashimi cuts this morning, though, at prices ranging from $14.95 to $29.95.

"The best advice is to shop early," said Guy Tamashiro, a buyer for Tamashiro's Fish Market. "At 7, 8, 9 in the morning, you'll have the best selection."

The price and selection will depend on what's for sale at the United Fishing Agency auction this morning.

$2,660 FISH

Retailers paid premium prices at Saturday's United Fishing Agency auction, which began promptly at 3 a.m.

After 90 seconds of bidding, the first fish, a 152-pound 'ahi, went for $17.50 a pound.

Take's Fish Market paid $2,660 for that tusker — head, guts, tail and all.

Tanioka's Seafoods and Catering quickly outbid competitors for the second fish, a 116-pound 'ahi that commanded a more pedestrian $9.60 a pound.

The third fish on the pallet, another 100-pound-plus 'ahi, went for somewhere in the mid-$9-a-pound range.

Three minutes into the auction, the first three 'ahi were being wheeled away after fetching upward of $6,000.

Garret Kitazaki, a purchaser for Diamond Head Seafood, came to the auction in search of maybe 10 good 'ahi to fill 5- and 10-pound special sashimi orders.

The first fish of the morning was a "special one" that went for as much as it did because it was "fatty, fresh and big," Kitazaki said.

While fish prices traditionally go up around New Year's because of increased demand, the high prices this year are fueled by another factor — the University of Hawai'i's appearance in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, Kitazaki said. Evidently, many parties are planned.

'PANIC BUYING GOING ON'

The United Fishing Agency's Brooks Takenaka said recent rough seas have also driven wholesale prices skyward.

"The supply hasn't been too good the past couple of days," Takenaka said. "It's been rough out on the water with not that much fish coming in."

He termed the number of 'ahi and other fish up for bid Saturday morning as "petty good." "It's better than it has been the past couple of days so there's a little bit of panic buying going on," Takenaka said.

PRICES HARD TO PREDICT

The fish-auction veteran declined to guess how high the retail price for prime sashimi will soar on New Year's Eve.

And there is no "average" wholesale price, he said.

"The high so far was $17.50. I don't know what the low is going to be. That'll be determined by all of those people," Takenaka said, gesturing to the bidders clustered in front of the auctioneer.

"We will probably see retail prices that are all over the place. Retailers can't set prices that are too high or they won't sell much fish. At the same time, they have to make a profit to cover their costs.

"They have to know their customer base well," Takenaka said.

Damon Johnson, of the Honolulu Fish Co., said the firm is buying between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds of fish a day "this time of year" at the auction and has seen prices rise about 25 percent in the past week alone.

One hundred percent of the fish his company buys is exported to fine-dining establishments across the country, and 70 percent of that is 'ahi or other kinds of tuna, Johnson said.

Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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