Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Hawaii Fishing News

It was the late 1970s when I started seriously whipping for ulua (G.T.s). After reading a magazine article about surfcasting for striped bass off the beaches of New Jersey, I bought an 8½- foot S-glass, two-piece, fast-taper spinning rod and a Penn 550SS spinning reel. I loaded the reel with 15-lb test monofilament line, bought some wooden lures the thickness of a broom handle and started whipping. I remember my first trips in the early 1980s to Christmas Island. Imagine trying to cast a 10-foot Ugly Stik rod with a Penn 900 reel loaded with 50-lb test mono and a lure the size of a water bottle. Talk about work! Even the young guys couldn’t cast for half an hour without stopping to rest. But we were after 25-, 35-,…

On March 11, 2011, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami took the lives of 16,000 people in Japan. This devastation destroyed numerous towns along with thousands of structures. During this event, another notable disaster struck as three Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors in the Fukushima Prefecture failed, creating global health concerns over nuclear fallout. Oceanographers feverishly developed maps showing ocean circulation before and after the natural disaster, many of which were infamously used in misinformation to suggest radioactivity issues impacting the entire Pacific basin. Months after the Tohoku and Fukushima tragedies, Japanese appliances were reported to have floated onto U.S. West Coast beaches. While speculation of radioactivity risks was the focus of the tragedy’s looming environmental impacts, 20-25 million tons of timber, fishing equipment, houses, appliances, cars, boats and other debris were…

As we face these unprecedented times here in Hawai‘i and all over the world, the phrase “Lucky we live Hawai‘i” is truly our blessing. Throughout all the curfews, lockdowns, layoffs and other closures, most of our public leaders have allowed fishing as an essential service to continue to feed our local community. For this, we fisher people are truly grateful as we continue to pursue our passion and fishing lifestyle. Here on Kaua‘i, relentless trade winds often limit kayak fishing to a very small area of water on the leeward side. As this fall approached, we started to see a change in the winds, which opened up more waters for kayak fishing. I headed out on a day that seemed to be the start of the lighter wind conditions we…

Parts 1 and 2 of this series discussed the first 12 species of the currently listed 15 Hawai‘i Island game-birds, which consist of the following: doves (three species)–barred, spotted and mourning; francolins (three species)–black, Erckel’s and gray; pheasants (three species)–kalij, ring-necked and melanistic mutant (blue); quail (three species)–California valley, Gambel’s and Japanese; chukar partridge; chestnut-bellied sandgrouse; and Rio Grande turkey. Part 3 concludes the series with a discussion of the chukar partridge, the sandgrouse and the wild turkey, along with some closing observations and comments. Chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar): A medium-sized partridge, the chukar is about 15 inches long and weighs about 1½ lbs. The female is slightly smaller than the male; otherwise the sexes are similar. The bird is grayish-brown to olive above, with buff underparts. It has a…

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I spent a fun-filled overnighter hanging out with some childhood friends. I had been looking at the moon and it was calling, so I got in touch with my friend Austin. Luckily, he also was having that same strange feeling to go fishing. We made some fast arrangements and decided it was a safe bet to go fishing someplace close to town. Fast-forward to the next morning. Austin called to say that his dad had just gotten settled in on the Big Island and was probably going to join us. I told him, “Sweet. Can’t wait.” I also told him that one of my friends who was just starting out was coming, too. It would be one of his first trips. He was going to tag along with one of…

NWHI Lobster Annual and Cumulative Revenue: 1977-1999 The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (the Council) published the first of seven new issues of its Pacific Islands Fishery Monographs historical series. The series aims to take a deeper look into the history and current condition of some of Hawai‘i’s most important fisheries. The series provides a comprehensive view of the social, cultural and economic impacts on Hawai‘i’s fishing industry. “Maya Angelou famously said ‘if you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going,’” said Kitty M. Simonds, executive director of the Council. “In this series, the Council is taking a thorough approach in documenting where we’ve been, so policymakers and stakeholders can better chart the future of fishing in Hawai‘i.” The findings and perspectives included in…

`Ahi is one of Hawai‘i’s favorite fish. A member of the tuna family, it is flavorful without being too strong for most fish eaters. Along with snappers, ‘ahi plays an important role in our holiday celebrations, especially as many honor their guests by serving decorative platters of thin, raw slices of this red-meat fish. Although ‘ahi is by definition yellowfin tuna (also called Allison tuna), its name is also used to collectively identify all of Hawai‘i’s larger varieties of tuna, including not only yellowfin, but also big-eye and albacore. ‘Ahi are most plentiful from late spring through September. Although they average from 20 to 120 pounds off our islands, they can also reach up to 300 pounds here. In supermarkets, ‘ahi meat is usually packaged in chunks and thick steaks,…

Weather in Hawai‘i waters will play a more important role in any marine activity during winter. Mariners are advised that the change from good to bad weather can be fast. The severe weather events that can occur, in decreasing order of frequency, are: gusty trade winds, high northwest swell and surf, cold front with Kona winds, and Kona low. The strongest trade winds are the winter-type trades that can occur in December. The number of trade wind days will be low - only about half of the days of the month - but gusty trades can occur. High northwest swell and surf will be frequent along the exposed northern shores. Expect about 20 days with surf greater than 6 feet high, and the possibility of surf greater than 20 feet…

The annual E Ho‘opomaika‘i ‘ia na Manu ‘A‘o (A Cultural Release of the Native Newell’s Shearwater) event was not slowed down by the COVID-19 crisis this year. Instead of having schoolchildren attending, the ceremony was filmed so a wider audience could view it virtually. The event was organized by the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP) and the Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) program. Kumu Sabra Kauka of Island School led the blessing as five ‘a‘o (Newell’s shearwater) fledglings that had been grounded by light attraction and rescued by SOS were successfully released out to sea. “Because of the global pandemic, we couldn’t have schoolchildren attend the release this year, which was a real shame as their enthusiasm and joy at seeing the birds up close is such an integral part…

A coalition of groups whose users rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to change its mind about an April 20 decision to permit Ligado Networks to begin construction of a land-based industrial 5G (fifth generation) “L-Band” wireless network. The group is concerned that once operable, the network will negatively impact the reliability of the nation’s Global Positioning System. In a letter sent on October 27, signed by 78 GPS stakeholder groups including the Keep GPS Working Coalition and Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) to U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chair Robert Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA), urged legislators to reverse the Ligado Order. It requests the legislator’s “direct involvement to protect the satellite communications and…

Capt. Chris Cole runs the HINATEA sportfishing boat in Lahaina Harbor. The 41-foot Hatteras is one of the most beautiful boats in the islands and also one of the busiest charters in the state. I caught up with Chris to learn more about what it’s like to fish on Maui and what motivates him to be such an aspiring, humble and happy fisherman. Born in New Zealand, Chris has a passion for fishing and being out on the ocean. “I started fishing when I was three feet tall. I would go deep-sea fishing with my grandpa and uncles in Mount Maunganui in New Zealand. The first nice fish I caught was a grouper. I was pretty small—had to be like five years old—and ever since then I would go out…

Throughout the year, I often share my catches with my neighbors, and in return they share with me the items that they grow in their gardens or make in their kitchens. This past month, I was lucky enough to catch a small ulua that I shared with two of my neighbors. I came back home with more than I had left with. I was given a few avocados by one of my neighbors, and an eggplant and cilantro by another. As I headed home with my assortment of garden-fresh goodies, I started thinking up ideas of what to make for dinner. I decided on making panko-crusted ulua with an avocado-cilantro dip and butter-roasted eggplant. Just as I was beginning to take the ingredients out of the refrigerator, my aunty pulled…

My two friends and I went fishing on the east side of Kaua‘i for a little getaway trip to relax our minds. We ended up catching three ulua! The first one bit early, at around 7 p.m. We were about ready to gaff the fish when the line broke, the gaff hook came out and the fish fell in a crack. I dropped my pole, ran down and grabbed our first fish of the night. At around 2:30 a.m., my friend’s pole started ripping line and woke me up. He got to his pole and fought the fish for quite a while before he gaffed it and brought it up. Throughout his fight, my other pole was bouncing, so I decided to check it. As I was reeling in my…

For letters, with photos, received during December we will send you a NEW SURPRISE gift made especially for HFN — our way of saying “thanks for sharing your catch!” … Hana pa‘a, Carrie Send to: P.O. Box 25488, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96825 or e-mail: <hawaiifishingnews@gmail.com> Hey HFN, I was out on a boat with family and friends during this pandemic. The water was really calm, and everyone was enjoying the beautiful mountain view while we talked story and laughed. As we approached the fishing spot, we got ready and put on our gear. Everyone has different gear, and we all love our setups. I use a Wainaha wetsuit, a Riffe Euro Series 110cm speargun and an Aussie reel. The fish were pretty tame. I had the opportunity to take a shot…