Will The New Hawaiian Law Make Tuna Labelling Stricter?

Hawaiian retailers have one year to label the tuna used in their ahi sashimi, poke, and sushi, so that consumers will know whether they are buying locally caught fish. Ahi refers to yellowfin and bigeye, both species are caught by the US longline fleet in Hawaii.

Last week, Hawaiian Governor Josh Green signed five bills about food, agriculture, and biosecurity. One was the bill that prohibits the sale of raw processed ahi by retailers without indicating the country where the ahi was landed on the label. “The health and resiliency of our agricultural lands and producers are not just vital – they are the very foundation of Hawaii’s well-being and future,” Green said in a statement, after signing the bills. Legislators have been demanding stricter labelling requirements for imported raw ahi tuna. One of their main arguments was that imported tuna is often carbon dioxide-treated, unlike fish from Hawaii fisheries.