Forecast international outlook for fresh tuna industry and assess the implications for Pacific island fisheries. Discuss possible application of the research to fishery management. Fresh marlin is less differentiated than fresh tuna. Wide variation in fresh tuna prices corresponds with varying quality requirements of highly differentiated end uses. Premium products command higher prices than lower quality products.
Tuna grades integrate effects of harvesting, handling and storage on fish quality.
Quality grades define market and price interactions among tuna from multiple sources and fishing gear types. The future market trend is toward even greater differentiation in product types and associated quality requirements. Without consideration of tuna quality grades, market conditions and price trends may be misinterpreted. Fishery managers should be aware that the unit value of fresh tuna varies substantially under different marketing scenarios. Tuna market competition in Hawaii and elsewhere is not based narrowly on gear type, but more broadly on quality, or tuna grades.