HAWAII FISH COMPANY INC. — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase II: Pongee Channa sp. are an esteemed freshwater food fish in Asia, Hawaii, and domestic Asian

Description

Pongee Channa sp. are an esteemed freshwater food fish in Asia, Hawaii, and domestic Asian seafood markets. Traditional customer preference is for a live product. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service banned the import and interstate transport of live Channidae in 2002. Therefore, the only options to market Hawaii-grown pongee outside of its established range on Oahu, Hawaii are as fresh chilled, frozen, and value-added products. Hawaii Fish Company (HFC) & #39;s long-term marketing goal is to have Hawaiian pongee become recognized as the world & #39;s finest Channa, in the way that Copper River salmon is marketed as the world & #39;s finest salmon. HFC & #39;s Phase I research confirmed the feasibility of marketing fresh and processed Hawaii-grown pongee products to local Asian seafood markets and restaurants and to fine-dining Hawaiian fusion cuisine restaurants in Honolulu, in lieu of the now prohibited live Channa imports, and to the Hawaii visitor industry with the development of a shelf-stable product line. It also confirmed the feasibility of addressing two customer-identified pongee appearance issues, fish coloration at harvest and management of post-harvest slime release. The Phase II research and development effort will examine options to improve the production protocols and nutritional value of Hawaii-grown pongee, to develop humane slaughter procedures, to develop and assess alternative processing options and products, to conduct sensory evaluations to refine processing procedures, and to develop, test, and evaluate packaging, logo, and branding options appropriate to specific premium pongee products for carefully identified markets. These research and development efforts will support HFC & #39;s Phase III commercialization plans to produce and market Hawaii-grown pongee to Honolulu & #39;s Asian seafood "niche markets" and fine-dining restaurants, to Hawaii & #39;s large visitor market, and, in the future, to similar domestic and regional export markets.