KEEPING IT FRESH: DeCA leadership visits fish auction in Hawaii to learn how fish are caught, distributed to local commissaries
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – Commissary patrons who use their benefit to buy fresh fish expect the best product possible at significant savings.
That’s the value Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) senior leaders were looking for when they visited the Honolulu Fish Auction Aug. 16.
John Hall, DeCA director and CEO, along with Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the director, visited the auction and were briefed on how fish are caught and distributed to commissaries island-wide.
“I believe it is most important to provide our customers with the freshest, highest quality fish we can purchase through the commissary system,” said Saucedo. “Being able to view first-hand the process of how we acquire our fresh fish and learn about the steps it takes to get them to our stores gives us peace of mind that we are providing the best product to the greatest customers – our service members and their families.”
The journey of fresh fish to the commissaries in Hawaii starts with the way the fish are caught.
Fishing boats travel over 300 miles offshore to where the fish live in deeper, colder waters – this is the most important step in providing the highest quality fish, according to J. John Kaneko, program manager for the Hawaii Seafood Council.
“Once caught, the fish are immediately packed in ice and stored in the hull of the ship,” Kaneko said. “When caught in deep water, fish have a lower body temperature, and packing them in ice provides the proper storage temperature for maintaining fresh quality.”
The fish are then transported to the auction house where they are graded and presented for bidding. Gaining access to the auction requires the highest health and safety standards. All personnel who enter are required to wear masks, have their temperature taken and step into a sanitizing solution to ensure no outside contamination enters the facility. Bidders line up to inspect the catch and bidding starts on each fish.
One of the auction bidders, Diamond Head Seafood, supplies fresh fish to DeCA’s four Hawaii commissaries. The company also provides fresh fish to 12 stateside commissaries in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Washington D.C., Virginia, New Jersey and Illinois.
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About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.