Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2005 i Hawaii Fishing News

Hawaiian Sleigh Ride on the Ballistic Banana! ■ This month we begin a three-part kayak fishing series featuring the exploits and tactics of Big Island paddlers Reggie Pare, Steve Heusser and Mike Meredith. Skilled kayak veterans all, each of the three has ventured offshore in boats small enough to lift with one hand and returned with fish you can barely lift with two. In March, Reggie hauled a 58-lb ono aboard his 11’ Caper, a featherweight 40-lb craft (made by Ocean Kayaks), to astonish big-boat fishermen who thought such a feat couldn’t be done. But Reggie’s heavyweight speedster was nothing compared to the 100-lb sailfish he had released on an earlier trip. We’ll start with Reggie’s escapades this month, introduce you to Steve and his champion kayak-fishing wife Cindy in…

AUWE! To the Hilo Post Office ■ Hilo area subscribers’ March issue was delayed for two weeks. When we called the Hilo Post Office to find out why and try to assist in locating the mail bag they obviously misplaced or misdirected, the Hilo Post Office supervisor refused to take our call and refused to return subsequent calls. If you have a mail delivery problem in the Hilo area, the phone number is (Hilo) 933-3019. HFN air freights all neighbor island subscription copies prior to the beginning of the month. You should receive your copy on or before the first of each month. Mr. Edward Broglio, the district manager for the U.S. Post Office, has given his assurances to Senator Daniel Akaka that HFN will not experience mail delays. Let’s…

Restricting Fishing Access? ■ The following conversations were posted on the Hawai‘i Fishing Forum, located at <http://www.ulua-fishing.com>. Brian F. No-Fishing Bills Are Back for 2005 They’re here again so please send your letters of opposition to the committee hearing the bills this Friday. It is important to get your letters to the office of the House Sergeant at Arms by Thursday 8:30 for the Friday hearing. The bills introduced in the House are: HB 399, HB 170, HB 131. FAX number’is 586-6501 (808-535-3859, neighbor islands). Make sure you address your written testimony to the chairmen of the Water, Land and Ocean Resources Committee: Rep. Ezra Kanoho and Rep. Brian Schatz. If you can attend, the hearing is Friday, January 28, 2005, at 8:30 a.m. to noon. There is another bill…

Public Access Shoreline Hawai‘i ■ Kaua‘i Mayor Bryan Baptiste has proposed that Kaua‘i County require developers to provide lateral as well as mauka and makai public access to beaches. Mayor Baptiste helped pass the current law (passed in 2001) that requires subdivisions of six or more lots to provide shoreline access. Mountain trail access is also required if the lots are located inland. The new proposals would allow surfers, fishermen and beachgoers safe lateral routes along the shore as well as mauka and makai shore trails. The proposal would apply to resorts, as well. On Hawai‘i, concerned fishermen including Mike Sakamoto and members of the Hilo Casting Club showed up at the County Council to monitor public access at a Pe‘epe‘ekeo Point development. The developers want to provide access to…

■ Greetings from the Waialua Boat Club. As the newly elected president, I thought I would attempt to write a monthly article relaying the events and stories the members of our club have experienced. We held our annual banquet last month at Waimalu Chop Suey in Pearl City. As usual, the food was ‘ono and the fellowship and fun even better. The newly elected officers were introduced, and the annual awards and trophies were presented. We give awards for the largest fish in several different categories: marlin, ‘ahi, mahimahi, ono, aku, ulua, onaga, ‘opakapaka, hapu‘upu‘u, uku, and tako are the species of fish we reward. We also have perennial trophies that are real works of art. It is quite an honor to possess one of these for a year. These…

National Wild Turkey Federation ■ The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is a half-million plus member, nonprofit organization with memberships in all 50 states, Canada and 11 other countries. The NWTF supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and cooperate lands. It also supports and promotes the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage. Bass Pro Shops Donate $1.1 Million to NWTF John L. Morris, Bass Pro Shops owner and founder, presented the NWTF a donation of $1.1 million for their building fund. The NWTF national headquarters in Edgefield, South Carolina, has an expansion plan for a museum and interaction educational center in support of the history of the wild turkey and our hunting heri-tage. Bass Pro Shops is a long-time supporter of the NWTF…

■ Males blotchy dark reddish to purplish brown; females white with brown lines that become yellow posteriorly; a large oblong black spot below rear of dorsal fin; caudal, anal, and posterior dorsal fin yellow; juveniles yellow dorsally, black posteriorly, with a white caudal fin. Largest, 20 inches. IndoPacific; the Hawaiian population recognized as a subspecies, Bodianus bilunulatus aibotaeniatus (Valenciennes). …reprinted from “Shore Fishes of Hawai‘i” by Dr. John Randall…

Frank’s Backyard ■ The Alii Holo Kai Tako Tournament usually starts at the break of day and ends before sundown at the home of Frank Farm Jr. (Alii Holo Kai president). Frank lives on O‘ahu and is a devoted member of the Hawaii Council of Dive Clubs (HCDC president) and a distinguished adviser on the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. Recognizing his credits is another story. This non-sponsored contest is open to anyone who is interested in participating. A liability waiver has to be signed and submitted by the due date prior to participation. This year there were 33 participants (divers) in search of this mollusk, often used by fishermen as the bait of choice when fishing for ulua, “da tako.” The rules stated that a three-prong spear without…

© HAWAII FISHING NEWS, 2005 Conclusion ■ I am grateful for the life I have lived, for the privilege of working with exceptional people, and to have experienced the highs and lows of living and working in evolving fishing nations around the world. Participating in the growth and near death of aku fishing and many island-based tuna-related industries in the Pacific and Indian oceans has been the focus of my life’s work. Most of the men with whom I fished are now long gone to a world of unlimited good fishing, I pray. Some of those who really impacted my life and helped so many others must be in a special place for all that they did. Here are a few I must acknowledge, many of whom are no longer…

■ My brother, Ulysses, is one of the most avid fishermen I know. He is usually strictly catch and release, except for the rare times when he wants to eat the fish or immortalize it in a frame. When Ulysses discovered gyotaku, I laughed and thought that it was completely random. Why would you print a fish on paper and then hang it on your wall? But now I’m beginning to see the beauty and art in it. Gyotaku is the Japanese art of fish printing, which originated in the early 1800s. Reading a book on it, I found that I had been pronouncing it wrong for a while. The “g” must be pronounced as a hard “g” as in “girl” not a soft “g” as in “George.” Mispronounce it…

Do You Know Your Tuna? This article was prepared with the cooperation of Hawaii’s Department of Aquatic Resources (DAR), the Joint Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) at the University of Hawaii, and NOAA Fisheries Service. ■ Do you know your tuna? Bigeye. Yellowfin. Skipjack. Albacore. All of these tuna are important to Hawaii’s recreational fishery, and sometimes we rely on you, the angler, to identify the fish. Even when properly identified, local naming conventions can confuse matters. For example, bigeye are sometimes called shibi, daruma, bluefin or ‘ahi. Yellowfin tuna are often called shibiko, shibi or ‘ahi. Skipjack, referred to as aku or otaru depending on size, are seldom a problem but may get mixed with smaller species like oi oi (frigate tuna) or the Japanese bonito (Sarda…

■ Winter conditions produced some good fishing, but for the most part it was tough to get a consistent bite. Mahimahi in small numbers showed up for a while, and many thought the spring run had started early but this was wishful thinking. Now the fish are no longer in the area. The FADS produced enough to keep fishermen happy-just enough to eat and give to a few friends. Shin Nasu on the NA-NA-KO went out recently with his son. After spending most of the morning hunting, they found only a few kau kau fish at the MM FAD. They will go out again soon because Shin loves to fish. It’s his best form of relaxation. Cedric Bertleman took a few trips out with his dad, Clyde, and brother Brock.…

■ The Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) recently authorized the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to explore ways the state can continue to better manage, conserve and protect our marine and coastal ecosystems as well as maintain healthy fish stocks. Our goal is to assure there are “fish for the future.” This public effort will include holding public community meetings to further discuss, refine and review a proposed framework for marine managed areas. The process will begin with focus group meetings with stakeholders in each county and will include discussions with all affected agencies and will report back to the BLNR with further recommendations. Some confusion exists about marine managed areas being automatically “no-take” (no fishing permitted) areas. Actually, many marine managed areas, as well as…

■ More than 250 fishermen packed the Hibiscus Room of the Ala Moana Hotel on March 15 to discuss marine protected areas (MPAs) that have been proposed in state and federal waters surrounding the main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Sponsored by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, the 6 to 9 p.m. event provided fishermen an opportunity to learn and voice their opinions about these and other MPA initiatives. Four key speakers addressed different aspects and applications of MPAs: council staff Tony Beeching spoke on the council’s MPA policy and criteria for establishing and monitoring MPAs; council staff Eric Kingma addressed draft fishing regulations for the proposed Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) National Marine Sanctuary; Rep. Ezra Kanoho explained the reasons for the Marine Reserve Network bills that were introduced…

Cootchy, Cootchy Coot ■ The common coot never had much endearment to me, simply because in the springtime they would tend to be very aggressive in their mating rituals and generally raise havoc during a quiet bank fishing session. Then, quite by accident one Sunday I was able to watch a coot feed near me. Turns out that the coots are vegetarians and this one was feeding on the tender new shoots of the Elodea weed! Hey, Mr. or Mrs. Coot, I’ll never speak lowly of you again! (Grin.) Auwe! It Was 98 Percent Mea Culpa The other 2 percent belonged to a 20- to 30-lb soft-shell turtle that decided that my little sliver of filet was too irresistible. In spite of my 12-lb test Maxima line, there was no…

Yellowfin tuna* [‘ahi]: To many anglers, the yellowfin, or ‘ahi, is the king of the family and possibly the most attractive of the large tuna. The golden sheen on the sides of a very fresh fish and the long, curved second dorsal and anal fins are unmistakable. Yellowfin are found in all tropical seas and are heavily targeted by sport and commercial fisheries. They are present in Hawaii’s waters all year with an influx of large adult fish during the warmer summer months. Yellowfin grow to over 400 lbs, but fish over 200 lbs are uncommon. Bigeye tuna* [‘ahi po‘onui, shibi, mebachi, bluefin]: Bigeye tuna are large, deep-bodied tuna that bear a slight resemblance to yellowfin. Juveniles tend to mix with skipjack and yellowfin, often around seamounts, floating debris, or…

■ ‘Ano ‘ai me ke aloha no lawai‘a nei. Pehea ‘oukou! Lawai‘a no ho‘i ai ‘ole ka papa he‘enalu i ke kai. Nani no ho‘i i Hawai‘i nei. Eia no, ‘olelo ‘ia, laki ‘oukou e noho nei i Hawai‘i. Pela no, ‘o keia hali‘a aloha e pili ana a me e ho‘ola‘a ana ko‘u makuakane, Donald George Aweau. Ua make ‘o ia i ka mahina Nowemapa 26, 2004. A ho‘i, i keia makahiki, e hele lawai‘a me ka ‘ohana no ka manawa e pulama mau. Greetings fishermen of the isles. How are you folks? Fishing or surfing? Beautiful is Hawai‘i. It is said, lucky we live in Hawai‘i! Thus, this fond remembrance is about and dedicated to my father, Donald George Aweau, who passed away on November 26, 2004. In…

For letters, with photos, received during April we’ll send you HFN’s New Ulua Hook® Embroidered cap logo design …our way of saying thanks for sharing your catch! …Hana pa‘a, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25488, Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 Aloha Chuck, These may be your future weighmasters, huh? The first photo is of 8-year-old Kylie-Rhea holding onto her catch. It’s a 5-lb smallmouth bass! This was summer fun! Isn’t she the avid fishergirl? The second photo is of Kylie, Uncle Todd (their bestest uncle in the whole world!) and her 3-year-old brother Kade. That’s Kade’s catch. Oddly enough, it too was a 5-lb smallmouth bass that was caught at their “secret spot” just one day later. This is his biggest fish to date! Go Kade! From Kylie and Kade, “Thank you,…