Aku skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis)

Skipjack tuna is commonly larger fish (16 to 30 pounds), move by peddlers from the roadside. known as aku in Hawaii. Other into Hawaiian waters during the names for this species include summer season of increased abun- striped tuna, oceanic skipjack and dance (April-Sept). Quality katsuo. This near-surface schooling Fishing Methods: Even with the best care, aku has a tuna is widely distributed across the relatively short shelf life as a high Pacific Ocean. Most of Hawaii’s aku catch is landed quality product compared with the by pole-and-line fishermen who en- other tunas. For this reason it is tice aku to bite on feathered, barb- generally consumed within 2-5 days Seasonality & How less hooks by chumming with live after landing. Pole-and-line caught They Are Caught bait. The pole-and-line catch is aku has the longest shelf life, fol- Availability and Seasonality: sorted according to fish size and is lowed by troll and longline-caught initially stored and sold in bins of Aku was historically the single most fish. Aku keeps longer if it is stored chilled/iced brine water. Trollers important commercial fish species in whole (especially if head down) and and longline boats land the remain- terms of landed weight and value in is not filleted until shortly before der of the aku catch. Hawaii, as well as throughout much use. of the central and western Pacific. Distribution: It is not uncommon to find small Today, Hawaii’s aku fishery is only a The pole-and-line aku fleet is cen- worms in the belly flaps of aku. fraction of what it once was, but is tered on the island of Oahu. Pole- Studies have shown that these para- still extremely important. There are and-line caught and troll-caught sites are only an aesthetic quality is- wide annual and seasonal fluctua- aku is marketed through the fish sue and are not a public health risk. tions in aku landings. Aku caught auction in Honolulu through inter- Aku belly is merely trimmed and in Hawaii routinely range between 4 mediary buyers on all islands, and typically fried and 15 pounds in round weight, but Product Forms and Yields: Preparations: meat cooks quickly and can easily Aku is sold in various forms: whole Aku is the preferred species for dry out if overcooked. many ethnic seafood dishes, espe- or as dried aku sticks. Most of the cially poke (traditional Hawaiian Historical Note aku catch is sold fresh and quickly - consumed, but any surpluses caught - Aku - during the peak summer season are land consumers prefer sashimi pre- waiian legends. According to one pared from large aku to that from legend, while voyaging to settle in ahi. Grilled “aku bone” (the back- Hawaii from the South Seas, a chief small aku to 60% for large aku. and his party were caught in a storm which threatened to swamp their ca- Color, Taste, Texture: food among certain ethnic groups noes. In response to the prayers of in Hawaii, as are aku roe and dried the sailors, a school of aku appeared has a deep, dark red color. Flesh aku. Aku can be cooked in many and calmed the rough waters. To different ways, but is usually broiled over hot coals, sautéed or fried. The Hawaiians to eat aku for a few days aku each year. - tions because they tend to have a greater fat content than smaller aku, another desirable attribute. Cooked aku becomes light gray in color. Aku has a more pronounced taste than ahi or a‘u.

Hawaii Seafood Council Acknowledgement: produced with support from NOAA www.hawaii-seafood.org