Third Times a Charm The 3rd Annual Hawaii Fishing & Seafood Festival

The 3rd Annual Hawaii Fishing & Seafood Festival was definitely a family event many looked forward to in 2008. The event set another attendance record with over 22,000 people, surpassing all previous year’s totals. Clear sunny skies with light tradewind breeze made the outdoor event a day to remember.  

The 3rd annual festival saw several new activities that added popular attractions to the event. The Izuo Tackle Workshop featured several specialty speakers, who enlightened hundreds of eager spectators interested in topics such as the ika jigging, ABC’s of skin diving and the history of tako skirts. The main stage was the gathering place for many, which was moved from the previous years due to the United Fishing Agencies (UFA) building expansion. Main stage spectators were treated to various activities including taiko drumming, healthy seafood cooking demonstrations, keiki performances and music by Imua. The food vendors out did themselves with a variety of fantastic seafood and local dishes. Crowd favorites were Crab cakes, island fresh poke, salmon musubi’s and grilled Uku and Swordfish these were just some of the magnificent delights one could taste at the festival.

“Everyone had good food,” said Chef Nico Chiaze of Nico’s Pier 38 after sampling a variety of dishes from neighboring food vendors. 

There were many new existing and activities along with traditional crowd favorites. Over 120 vendors lined the docks and along side buildings at Pier 38, while attendees got to meet Hawaii’s fishing community clubs, agencies, media and retailers. Keiki games headed by the Castle High School Band brought loads of smiles with a mix of fun, education and prizes. You could cool off with shave ice or jump in a bed of snow ice donated by Hawaiian Ice. If you were still too hot, then the UFA fish auction area was the perfect place to cool off and see fresh locally caught fish.

Organizers, volunteers, vendors, sponsors and the countless others who helped make this event successful came together to celebrate fishing, seafood, family and fun.  Many left with great bargains, satisfied appetites of delicious local seafood and hopefully a much better appreciation for our ocean resources.   

Organized by PIFG the events purpose is simple, to support the tradition of fishing in the islands. To accomplish this PIFG promotes and supports responsible fishing. For those who may not be familiar with PIFG (www.fishtoday.org) they are a promising non-profit group that helps facilitate communication among fishermen about issues of fishing and marine conservation. PIFG encourages people who are interested in supporting this mission to join its growing number of supporters (over 2,000) through their annual projects and programs that benefit the future of fishing.

PIFG would like to thank everyone for their participation, help and support for making the 3rd  Annual Hawaii Fishing and Seafood Festival a huge success. Special thanks to Hawaii’s fishing community, The New Fishing Village @ Pier 38 and major sponsors HMSA, Hawaii Seafood Promotion, Hawaii Longline Association, and Izuo Brothers. With continued sponsorship, PIFG is looking forward to making the 4th Annual Fishing & Seafood Festival an even bigger success in 2009.