October Seafood Celebration Goes Statewide
October Seafood Celebration Goes Statewide
If you love seafood, you have a great excuse to indulge throughout the month of October. More than 50 restaurants across the state will be celebrating Hawaii Seafood Month, drawing diners in with specials and special dishes and sneaking some sustainability education onto the plate.
"Fishing and seafood are essential to Hawaii’s heritage, multi-cultural food traditions, our regional cuisine and visitor experience," explains the official website. "Hawaii Seafood Month celebrates Hawaii seafood and the dedicated fishers, retailers, restaurants, and seafood businesses working together to promote sustainable local seafood and vibrant fishing communities across our paeʻāina."
Hawaii Seafood Month coincides with National Seafood Month, which has been around officially for at least 25 years, and for much longer under the banner of the National Fisheries Institute (which introduced the idea in the 1940s). It's championed by NOAA as a way to "highlight the sustainability of U.S. fisheries from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico."
There have been a smattering of local observations in the past (from special dishes at the Maui Ocean Center to a Yelp feature last year), but this year's coordinated, statewide event is a first. It's being organized by the Hawaii Seafood Council and Conservation International, with the help of the Ulupono Initiative and other partners.
“Fresh local seafood is one of the great joys of living in and visiting Hawaii," said Hawaii Seafood Council program manager John Kaneko in a statement. "Informed consumers help to support our responsible fisheries by asking for world-class, safe and sustainable Hawaii seafood... that is what Hawaii Seafood Month is all about."
And there is a tech angle to Hawaii Seafood Month, as organizers are incorporated ThisFish, a seafood tracing system that helps consumers look up the history of the food on their plate.
"Scanable QR codes will instantly connect to the story of the seafood including species, fishery, harvest method, and landing details as well as information about the fisher who harvested the seafood," organizers explained. "When possible, customers are even able to see the fisher who harvested the catch and connect to him/her by sending a personal message."
For more information, visit HawaiiSeafoodMonth.com, Hawaii-Seafood.org, or connect with Conservation International's Hawaii chapter on Facebook, on Twitter at @CIHawaii, or on Instagram at @cihawaii.
Here is the list of participating restaurants as of Friday:
Oʻahu
3660 On the Rise
Aala Meat Market Inc.
Azure Restaurant
Beach House at the Moana Surfrider
The Edge of Waikiki
Fresh Island Fish
Grondin French-Latin Kitchen
Hale Ōhuna
Kai Market
Kaimuki Superette
Koko Head Cafe
Kona Brewing Company
Lunch Box Cafe at Hawaiian Airlines
Mission Social Hall & Cafe
The Moana Surfrider
Mud Hen Water
MW Restaurant
The Pig & The Lady
The Royal Hawaiian Resort
Rum Fire Waikiki
The Sheraton Waikiki
Taormina Sicilian Cuisine
Times Supermarket Mililani
Times Supermarket Kahala
Times Supermarket Kāneʻohe
Town
Tropic Fish Hawaii, LLC
Whole Foods Market
Wing Sing
Maui
Black Rock Kitchen (Sheraton Maui Resort)
Frida’s Mexican Beach House
Garden & Valley Isle Seafood
Honu Seafood & Pizza
Kaʻana Kitchen (Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort)
Kō Restaurant (Fairmont Kea Lani)
Māla Ocean Tavern
Maui Brewing Co.
Maui Fresh Streatery
Merriman's Kapalua
MiGRANT Maui
The Mill House
Teppan-yaki Dan (Sheraton Maui Resort)
Tropic Fish Maui
Hawaii Island
Blue Dragon
Cafe Pesto
Chirashi Sushi-Don by Jiro
The Fairmont Orchid (4 restaurants)
Hilo Bay Cafe
Hilo Fish
Kona Fish
Merriman's Waimea
Moon & Turtle
Suisan Seafood Market
ʻUlu Ocean Grill at the Four Seasons Hualālai
Umeke's (2 locations)
Village Burger
Kauai
Merriman's Kauai
RumFire Poipū Beach (Sheraton Kauaʻi)
Tropic Fish Kauai