Innholdsfortegnelse for August 1993 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ I always hear stories about guys catching goodsized ulua on baitcasting outfits. But, when I began big-game, shoreline fishing, I didn’t think small hooks with small baits could catch anything of substantial size. Believing in the “big bait, big fish” theory, I first started baitcasting with conventional reels casting sizable bait. The only thing that resulted from that was a big splash when the bait hit the water. I lost distance and drastically lessened my chances of hooking onto a big fish unless it wandered extremely close to shore. My first experience baitcasting with conventional gear was in my early teens with my dad. I tried to learn the way of the “thumb” and not backlash. That in itself was a frustrating experience—not so much for me as it…

Soups First Place— Essence of Lemon Grass Soup with Monchong Rice Paper Rolls (Ryan Vargas, assistant cook, Top of the Waikiki Restaurant, Honolulu) Second Place— Tropical Fish Soup with Opah. Shutome and Uku (Rey Dasalla, executive chef, The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel, Honolulu) Third Place— Pumpkin Shoot Soup with Sea Bass Filled Blos¬soms and Roasted Kukui Nuts (James Reaux, ex¬ecutive chef, The Westin Maui Hotel, Ka‘anapali) Appetizers First Place— Lomi Lomi Aku in Chilled Native Lobster Broth with Peppered Taro Sauce (Steve Amaral, execu¬tive chef, Kea Lani Hotel, Wailea, Maui) Second Place— Poached ‘Ahi with Kabocha-Ogo Relish and Guava-Papaya Red Pepper Sauce (Nathan Kina, executive chef, Prince Kuhio Hotel, Honolulu) Third Place— Herb-Crusted Medallions of ‘Ahi and Kona Crab Polenta with Creamy Tomato Hawaiian Chili Oil Vinaigrette and Oriental…

EPA, Senate Propose Lead Restrictions ■The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will publish a proposed rule for public comment, that would ban the manufacture, processing and distribution of certain lead sinkers. The agency indicated that the ban may include sinkers made from non-lead substitutes that it considers toxic to waterfowl, including zinc, copper and brass. S. 729 is awaiting action by the Senate’s i Environment and Public Works Committee. The measure, the Lead Reduction Act of 1993, was introduced by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) It would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to reduce levels of lead in the environment. One provision would prohibit the import, manufacture and processing of sinkers, jigs and lures containing more than 0.1 percent lead within one year of enactment. In addition, distribution of such sinkers,…

■ Before too long the most important issue to face our fisheries will be upon us. We’ve been keeping you informed about what could possibly happen and what devastation could occur to our ocean resources if the longline fleet is allowed to expand, but many of you have written us for more information or clarification as to why the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council and some of the council members seem to be intent on destroying our fishery. The most asked question is why doesn’t the federal government step in and get rid of those who fail to protect our fishery. Well that’s confused us a great deal as well, and the answer seems to be that many of these people have a stranglehold on the council process from…

Hi Chuck, The squid on page 21 of the July 1993 issue is a female red squid, Ommastrephes bartramii. This was the preferred target of the North Pacific driftnet fleet. Called aka-ika by the Japanese, it’s sometimes found in local markets as murasakiika (purple squid). This one was probably on its death bed if Mr. Bancaco caught it on the reef. Cheers,Bob HarmanWESPAC University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology Department of Oceanography Dear Chuck, The squid caught by Cornillio Bancaco Sr. off Maui (Mail Buoy, July 1993, HFN, page 21) appears to be a neon flying squid (scientific name: Ommastrephes bartramii), a species found worldwide in subtropical and temperate oceanic waters, but absent in equatorial waters. It can grow to a mantle length…

■ When a Kona sportfishing boat strikes a big fish, shipboard radios crackle with the encouraging words “Go get ‘em.” Aboard Capt. Steve Kaiser’s MEDUSA, “Go get em” sometimes takes on a special meaning. Honeymooners Brad and Giselle Laird from Kansas learned that last month when they hooked the largest black marlin boated off Kona in many years. Giselle’s 966-lb black took four and a half hours and some dramatic special help. The diminutive bride, all of 5 feet 2 inches and 105 lbs, found herself battling the leviathan after it took a live bait on the “grounds” northwest of Keahole Airport. “The fish took a hellacious first run and then got stubborn,” Kaiser said. “Steve Roney and Chris Kam were my crew. Steve has been fishing here longer than…

Dear Jim: I recently read your article in the June HFN and was amazed that you did not know of the current federal regulations regarding billfish caught in federal waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico! You ask the question “Where in the world is it not legal for fishermen to bring in marlin under 200 lbs?” The answer is federal waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, when those fish are of average weight for their length, which is most of the time. Regulations have been in effect on the East Coast and Gulf Coast since 1989 regarding billfish taken from the EEZ. Blue marlin have to be a minimum of 86 inches long from the tip of the lower…

■ In just under two years The Billfish Foundation’s tagging program has become one of the largest and most successful billfish tagging programs in the world. “The growth of the program has been phenomenal,” said John Spence the Director of TBF. “We already have more than 6,000 billfish tagged and released and have recorded an astounding 90 recaptures in 1992.” The TBF tagging program was started in late 1991 following the development of the Foundation’s innovative hydroscopic nylon billfish tag. The new tag was designed to be biologically compatible and has dramaticaly increased the holding and anchoring qualities of this high tech tag, “As a sub component of the tagging program,” said Spence, “we have been running a double tagging experiment to test a TBF nylon tag next to a…

Kona Marlin Center Report Due to the limited space available and the large number of fish caught, catch reports are limited to tuna over 100 lbs and billfish of any size, any species. (S) = Striped marlin, (B) = Black marlin and (T) = Tag and release, weight estimated. Marina Seafood Catch Report…

■ A pair of Kona anglers has ended a not-so-grand year in Kona fishing. Mike Oshiro and Chris Robb won the Kona-Iki Trollers Invitational with a 1,051-lb marlin, Kona’s first grander in 372 days. (The long dry-spell stretched back to June 6, 1992, when visiting angler John Livingstone boated a 1,356-lb marlin while fishing with Capt. Darrin Isaacs on the charter boat SPELLBOUND.) Oshiro and Robb hooked their huge fish early on June 13, 1993. It was a rainy Sunday, “soaking wet to the BVDs,” Oshiro recalled. After a 5:30 a.m. launch at Keauhou Bay, Oshiro headed his 17-foot KRISTA-O for C-buoy to fish for live bait, weathering a downpour that stretched from Kealekekua Bay to the buoy. Oshiro and Robb were able to hook a bait right away and…

Dear Chuck, The Big Island fishing has been great this year. Here are a few pictures of the fish we’ve been catching over the last few weeks. During the weekend of June 5, Wes Yoshihiro, Guy Yoshihiro, Joseph Delima and myself joined Big Island fisherman Kahana Itozaki hoping for some of the same fishing action we had experienced a month earlier. The fishing conditions were excellent. Moderately rough wave action coupled with rapidly rising and dropping tides brought the ulua school back for a repeat session, resulting in our being able to catch 29 ulua that weekend. As a bonus, we even caught a 29-lb ono while floating an ‘opelu for bait. The largest fish was a hefty 108-pounder that Guy caught at 5:30 Friday afternoon. He was absolutely stoked…

Cooking Terms in Chefs’ Recipes: 1. Sweet, as in “sweet the onions” It means to cook the onions over low heat in a tightly covered saucepan without letting them brown. 2. Roux, as in ‘make a roux.” A roux is butter: cooked with flour, usually without letting It brown. Measurements tn Chefs’ Recipes (when recipes call for ounces): 1. Liquid measurements are fairly consistent: from ingredient to ingredient (water, oil, etc.), so differences are negligible. 2: Solids vary markedly—½ ounce of chopped parsley leaves measures ⅓ of a cup, but ½ ounce of; parsley stems measures ⅓ of a cup. So take advantage of the scale in the produce department of your favorite supermarket.…

■ Two of WESPAC’s advisory committees will meet in August. These meetings are open to the public, so feel free to attend. The Pelagics Advisory Panel will meet August 16, 1993 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the: Hawaii Maritime Center at Pier 7 in Honolulu: Harbor. The panel will discuss and possibly make recommendations to the council regard-fog Amendment 7 to the fishery management plan (longline limited entry), the 1992 annual report of the pelagics fishery, data collection for all pelagic fisheries, planning for the council’s pelagics program for the next three years and other issues. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet August 25 through August 27,1993 from 8:50 a.m. to 5 p.m. (each day) at the National Marine Fisheries Service Honolulu Laboratory at 2570 Dole…

■ By the time you read this article the first of two major contests of the year will be underway. First, the U.S. Freediving Nationals will be held at Kings Beach, Newport. Rhode Island on August 6. Divers representing the Hawaii Council of Dive Clubs (HCDC) will be North Shore Spearfishers members Tim Nakamura, Egan Inoue and Hanalei Adric. Some of the fish they will be targeting are tautog, blue fish, sea bass, striped bass and albacore. I think the only problem they’ll have is acclimating to the cold water. Other than that, the boys are ready. A special mahalo to all our friends and families who supported us through all our fundraising efforts to get to Newport. Also, a big mahalo to the Ahi Holo Kai Dive Club and…

■ The 10-day stretch of jackpot fishing tournaments held in Kona last month saw great fishing and a record amount of cash awarded for any tournament in Hawai‘i, said Capt. Jody Bright tournament director. A field of 400 anglers entered the four tournaments that ran from June 25 through July 4, Bright said. The “Fishing Fandango!” kicked off with 27 teams fishing the Seventh Annual Big Island Invitational Marlin Tournament. Twenty marlin were caught in three days, of which 16 were tagged and released. Angler Terry Tri on board Capt. Juan Waroquiers’ ILLUSIONS took home $6,105 for tagging and releasing three marlin during the event. Another $5,000 went to Aaron Taylor on board Capt. Jerome Judd’s JUN KEN PO for the biggest fish of the tournament, a 722-lb blue marlin.…

‘Ahi Action Heats Up ■ “Come over here. I’m hooked up,” the cry rang out over the CB radio. “Double! Double!” the same voice cried out a few seconds later. The ‘ahi (yellowfin tuna) have returned, and the harbor parking lots are overflowing. Kane‘ohe and Wai‘anae seem to be the hot spots. The big aku have been fairly scarce this summer, popping up for only a day or two and then disappearing again. Huge schools of medium-sized aku in the 8- to 10-lb range are everywhere, but seem to have “lock jaw.” With all of this “bait” around, you would assume that there would be a lot of marlin around; however, this is not the case. A few are being caught, but the numbers are nothing compared to the past.…

■ Spending the day watching a real chef work has always been a fantasy of mine, and, thanks to sponsors of the 4th Annual Hawaii Seafood Festival, my fantasy came true! I spent 10 hours at the llikai Hotel Nikko Waikiki with not just one but 40 creative professional chefs, who were preparing scrumptious seafood dishes for the Hawaii Seafood Culinary Excellence Competition. The hotel banquet kitchen easily accommodated these talented men and women, contest coordinators, photographers and cruising pests like me. The kitchen was like a giant food bazaar, except we couldn’t sample the goodies until later that evening. Watching imaginative and delicious dishes prepared before my eyes was an experience I’ll share with you over the next few months. I learned a lot. Did you know chefs have…

■ They were talking about the Boone Awards for skippers when a voice behind me asked “Who was this Boone guy? The great pioneer?” Startled, I thought “How could he not know about Palladin?” Memories jumped around in my head. My childhood image of a rugged-looking cowboy star who was everyone’s TV hero reformed into the vision of a crazy-faced fisherman standing on the Kona pier talking about marlin. But they were quickly crowded out by thoughts of his last days a little over a dozen years ago. I can tell you most about Richard Boone through words 1 gathered in the winter of 1980-81. Boone was at his home in St. Augustine, Florida, in great pain and fighting a losing battle. He had written to ask for a copy…

■ More U.S. albacore troll fishing vessels are expected to make port calls in Honolulu this summer, but their presence should not be cause for any concern to Hawai‘i fishermen, said federal officials. These albacore trailers will be concentrating their fishing ef fort in the Central Pacific, outside the range of Hawaii’s troll and handline fisheries. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), increased U.S. troll fishing effort in the Central Pacific is likely as a result of a very disappointing South Pacific albacore season and a restrained U.S. West Coast troll salmon fishery. Information from vessels fishing near the international dateline in late May indicated concentrations of albacore. The best catches recorded were 200 to 400 fish per vessel per day. Preliminary reports from the Japanese pole-and-line fishery…

■ The results of tumor research conducted under contract by three specialists in wildlife diseases have recently been received.by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Turtle Research Program. This work is part of an ongoing collaborative effort to determine the etiology and possible containment measures needed to address the epidemic condition known as fibropapillomatosis. This disease is currently affecting green turtles in Hawai‘i, Florida, the Caribbean, and elsewhere worldwide. Prior to 1985 it was known at these locations but only as a relatively uncommon occurrence. During the last five to eight years the disease has substantially increased in both incidence and distribution. In December 1990, a major workshop was convened by the Honolulu Laboratory to address the problem and develop a coordinated research plan. In concordance with this research…

When we wanted to know how to tag and release, we contacted Rob McGuckin—a three-time winner of the Richard Boone Award, given top captain at the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT). Rob is no novice to tag and release. The day before we talked with him. Rob had tagged and released a 300-lb and 500-lb marlin aboard the HULA GIRL, the Kona boat that he captains. He claimed he had just gotten lucky. Like all of the captains that we talked with, Rob was clear when he said that tagging techniques are easter and quicker than killing techniques. Rob says you should angle a tagged marlin the same way as you would a gaffed fish The exception is to try to get the hooks out without it becoming dangerous for…

■ The charter fleet saw an inside bite during June, with the southern side of Lana‘i and the “Factory” area producing two-thirds of the fish. Ten percent were caught on live bait. Fifteen blue marlin, 19 striped marlin, 17 spearfish, one sailfish and one ‘ahi over 100 lbs were weighed, and three other billfish were tagged and released. The second, third and fourth largest fish of the year hit the scales within a week’s time but were unable to take the lead from Capt. Jerry Jacobs’ 740-lb blue marlin caught aboard the ALOHILANI on April 30. EXACT’s Marlin is Largest in Seven Weeks As the bite had been around the southern edge of Lana‘i, Capt. Tom Casey headed toward the area. He worked EXACT down the ledge past Manele Bay.…