Morning Activity: Fish Auction Tour
When you arrive in Honolulu from the mainland - stay up as late as possible the first night here. Fight the urge to go to bed at 7pm. If you do retire early, you’ll be up before the dawn….what to do?
When the brass bell rings at 5:30 a.m., Honolulu’s fish auction gets under way.
At the Honolulu fish auction you can see a number of different fish, but the majority are yellowfin tuna – a common fish used in sashimi, sushi, and poke in Hawaii.
There are also typically a few palettes of opah fish, or moonfish, which is the fish with the highest amount of omega 3 oils per bite.
On the TOUR, bidders follow the auctioneer down rows of pristine ahi, or bigeye tuna, competing for each individual fish.
Honolulu’s daily auction may be small in volume, but local appetites for ultra-fresh raw fish and demand from restaurants overseas make it one of the world’s most lucrative.
Tours are open to the public every Saturday by reservation only. Click here for reservation site.
If you’re not visiting on a Saturday and you just want to check it out, it’s open to the public.
Address: Located at Pier 38. Official website here.
Open hours: It’s a good idea to visit from about 6 am – 8 am
Entrance fee: Free
Tip: It’s pretty cold inside the fish auction as it’s a refrigerated building, so you might want to bring a light jacket
