Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2006 i Hawaii Fishing News

Conventional Dart Tagging ■ A few years ago, we ran a conventional tagging project to look at the behavior of yellowfin and bigeye tuna in the Hawai‘i region. We used simple, plastic dart tags carefully inserted in the backs of the fish to monitor general movements and “residence times” of tuna at important Hawaiian fishing grounds. This project was focused on issues related to the Cross Seamount and offshore NOAA weather buoys. A total of 15,397 tuna were tagged and released, made up of 7,957 bigeye and 7,440 yellowfin tuna. Most of the tag releases were made in the offshore areas, but tagging took place throughout the Hawai‘i zone and all the way to Midway and Kure Atolls. Around 1,600 tagged tuna were recaptured by local fishermen who returned tags…

■ A few years back, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, started distributing papio and ulua tagging kits to the public. At that time, I was living on O‘ahu where, unfortunately, there appear to be more fishermen than fish. On a typical three-day weekend, we would see so many fishermen camping that my friends and I would joke that the fish had no chance of surviving. The fish literally had to weave through all the fishing lines and hooks in the water. We decided that we’d better start releasing fish, as a means of conservation, so that in the future others would be able to experience the enjoyment of catching fish like ulua and papio. We contacted the DAR for the free ulua and papio…

Urban Legend Meets Legislative Reality ■ The final chapter of this fish tale is still being written. It’s the tale of a little fish going about its business around Hawai‘i‘s reefs, and a little boy on a mission to immortalize that fish. Six-year-old Joel Itomura loves sea creatures. His favorite movie of all time is “Finding Nemo.” When he is out fishing or on a boat with dad, he doesn’t care about seeing sharks or ulua, he wants to see a humuhumunukunuku-apua‘a-our state fish, or I thought it was. Last Christmas, the kindergartner told me the humuhumu’s reign as Hawai‘i‘s top fish was over. I thought he was baiting me for a joke. My response was, “Nah. What in the world are they teaching you in school?” Joel hooked me…

Hawai‘i Marine Debris Updates ■ In Hawai‘i, marine debris affects the beauty of our environment, is a safety hazard, causes damage to boats and threatens many of our marine species. From a beach covered in trash to a ghost net continually trapping marine life, marine debris is a problem that we cannot ignore. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), state and county agencies, private businesses, non-profit organizations and community groups have been working on this issue in Hawai‘i for a number of years. Of the many projects underway are several funded by NOAA’s Marine Debris Program: • Honolulu port reception feasibility study and derelict net recycling program; • Marine debris location and removal in the main Hawaiian islands; • Marine debris removal in monk seal habitat in the Northwestern…

Hoehoena O Ke Kai A Me Ke Kai Haele (Tides and Currents) Aloha no ho’i! E heluhelu ana i ka nupepa ‘o Hawaii Fishing News! Mahalo a nui no na kokua no ke kolamu. ‘Oia ka mo’olelo e pili ana i ke kai a me ke au. ■ Heartfelt greetings to all HFN readers! Thanks, everyone, for your continued support of this column. This story is about tides and currents. I’ve often been asked about terms Hawaiians used in the old days to describe the many tides and currents that are still important to fishermen today. Generic terms exist, but Hawaiians used many terms to describe the subtle differences in water movement as well as its cyclical effect on fishing. Let’s take a look and discover more words to use…

■ I hiked up the ladder to the bridge and walked into the pilothouse where Dison stood, his muscled arms outstretched to the huge wheel rising to chin height. The wheel had been salvaged from a grounded freighter in northern Palau some years prior. “We go west side, out Uchlong. Tide high and good for kine passage,” Dison said. Then chuckling, he commented, “Peter no like us go this way, but high tide OK. Only watch out for coral heads,” he laughed, “Bom-by no more EMERAECH.” “Yeah,” I said, “big hole in bottom, bom-by, hee hee.” With full baitwells, the EMERAECH drew over 12 feet. Uchlong referred to the island off our starboard quarter and there was no passage, only a great expanse of sand, coral heads and blue water…

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will hold several public hearings in Hawaii in March 2006 to address bottomfish overfishing in Hawaii and fishing regulations for bottomfish and pelagics in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). Discussion on these matters as well as other management issues for fisheries in federal waters surrounding the U.S. Pacific Islands will also be conducted during the month at an Advisory Panel meeting, a Fishers Forum and the 131st Council Meeting. The Council is expected to make a final decision on these issues at the 131st Council Meeting. For more information, contact the Council at 808 522-8220, fax 808 522-8226, email info.wpcouncil@noaa.gov, or http://www.wpcouncil.org. Hawaii Bottomfish Overfishing: On the basis of fishery information analyzed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Fisheries Science…

Fishing Partners for Life Hey Chuck, My bride, Terri, and I take our annual anniversary trip to the islands, as we were married there. The trip to Hawai‘i always rejuvenates us and our love for one another. We always go at the very end of September into October, as our anniversary is October 9. This year instead of going to Maui, we went to the Big Island-Kona. We decided to spend a day fishing. We rented a center-console boat from Kona Boat Rentals and packed some trolling lures and three sets of Penn International outfits. I studied the charts of the Kona side of the island and located all the FADS, Pebble Beach, “the Grounds,” “ono lane,” etc. I then entered all the latitudes and longitudes as waypoints into my…

No More Closures! ■ The only big fishing story is about all the closures being proposed in the Legislature. What is going on? First they want to close more grounds for onaga, ehu and ‘opakapaka. They want 15 percent more closures, but I looked at the proposed map and think they are going to close more than 15 percent. I have been to several meetings, and they just get my blood pressure up. They don’t have any facts about overfishing for onaga. If they do, they are not presenting them at the meetings. What is Peter Young doing? It does not seem that he is working for the fishermen. I heard that only one or two of his staff are fishermen and the rest are not. I think his staff…

Hi Chuck, I noticed that you have a section in HFN about Fiji. Capt. John Llanes Jr., who you may remember from articles you have written on him in the past regarding his 145-lb kahala, state-record tako, etc., has relocated to Taveuni, Fiji, and has opened up a fishing operation. The fishing there is incredible, and I thought one of his recent fishing trips may be of some interest to your readers. If you feel this is publishable in your wonderful magazine, please feel free to edit this story as you see fit. I don’t care if I have the byline. It is a bit lengthy because I wasn’t sure from which angle you would like to present the story if you decided it is reader worthy. We also have…

Hello Chuck, We’re trying to identify this fish. Caught Wednesday night at LL buoy, depth-about 60 fathoms, while fishing for ika/shibi on the QUE-LARGO. Fish weight is 4½ lbs at about 21 inches long. Mahalo Nui Loa, Gary Largo Gary, The fish is the Escolar, Lepidocybium flavobrunneum, cosmopolitan in warm seas. Aloha, Jack Randall Hi! I did some research on the scientific name (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum) common name in English: Escolar. This fish is an economic fish, as well as edible. It’s not a poisonous fish. This fish is distributed in Taiwan’s south, north, east, northeast part of the island waters. It maximum length is 200cm. Its habitats: Mostly over the continental slope, down to 200m and more. Often migrates upward at night. Feeds on squid, fish and crustaceans. It is…

■ Gov. Lingle, through the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), is embarking on a multifaceted initiative to enhance environmental education for Hawai‘i‘s residents with focus on our children. There are three main elements in the DLNR’s initiative: • Environmental Education-Based Charter Schools; • $1 Million for Environmental Education Programs; and • Land for Environmental Education Centers. Environment EducationBased Charter Schools • The DLNR is initiating legislation that authorizes seven New Century Charter Schools, on the islands of Hawai‘i, O‘ahu, Maui, Moloka‘i, Lana‘i and Kaua‘i, with curriculum that focuses on environmental education. This initiative will increase the number of New Century Charter Schools from 23 to 30. • Nearly $3 million in funding is also included to help support the start-up and initial operations of these new charter schools.…

Dear Chuck, I attended the hearing on H.B. 2881, which requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to demonstrate a scientific need prior to prohibiting or limiting fishing in any public fishing area. There was a good turnout, and the debate was heated. The mainstream “environmental” groups were out in force to support the DLNR. But for some reason, it didn’t seem like an environmental issue. In fact, at one point it seemed like an all-out race war as haole after mainland-transplanted haole testified against H.B. 2881, while local after local testified in favor of it. One participant even went so far as to say, “this is environmental racism that takes the food off the dinner table of locals”. Naturally there were some exceptions, but for the most part,…

■ It was 6 o’clock and what looked like a beginning of a very nice Sunday morning. After several days of rainy and windy weather. Mother Nature again smiled upon us and unfolded a spectacular fishing day. This was the dawning of January 29, 2006, the day of the 23rd Annual HYC-WYC Junior Fishing Tournament. By 6:30 a m., the first junior anglers began to register, and by 7:30, more than 70 excited young people had signed up and were ready to go fishing. The Hawaii Yacht Club floating dock was filled to capacity with volunteer boats ready to take the kids out for a morning of fishing. When 8 a.m. rolled around, the young anglers gathered around the flagpole and were given both the safety and the fishing rules…

■ The Charter Desk’s New Year’s Day Tournament started out 2006 just right. The 21 teams that were brave enough to face the winter swell at the mouth of the harbor caught quite a few fish. Capt. McGrew Rice on the IHU NUI took first place with a 209½-lb blue marlin. The IHU NUI team also took the prize for first ‘ahi of the year, a 130-lb tuna. The JUN KEN PO with Capt. Mike Holtz landed the first marlin of the year, a 40-lb striped marlin. Capt. Steve Fassbender’s TERESA landed the first ono, and the KENIANN with Kenneth Kam Jr. brought in the first mahimahi. January saw a lot of the typical winter fish: spearfish and striped marlin. The yellowfin tuna also decided to stick around a bit.…

Humminbird’s Extraordinary Service ■ My Humminbird RF30 Fish Finder, wireless and sonar responder, did not like being opened up for a battery check at 1,500 feet elevation. It was a very rainy day, and the receiving unit probably got a little wet on the inside, which may have influenced the software program. I noticed some discrepancies in the display, and I sent it back to Humminbird for a checkup. Imagine my delight when Humminbird E-mailed me the same day and told me the unit was being repaired and would be returned as soon as possible. Less than a week later the unit was returned via UPS Second Day Air delivery. Now how is that for service? Expanded Use of the Fish Finder Normally the Remote Sensor System (RSS) is attached…

■ Spring is approaching according to the calendar, but in Hawaii waters winter-type weather can still appear in March. But there will be more good weather days than bad weather days. There is always the possibility of the occurrence of any of the following severe weather events: cold front with strong Kona winds, upper trough with heavy rain, gusty trade winds and high northwest wave and surf. Trade winds should be present on more than half the days in March with the possibility of about eight to 14 days of gusty trades. Northwest swell activity should be noticeably less. There may be about five days of high surf greater than 10 feet along the north shores. There’s still a chance of surf greater than 25 feet high at Sunset Beach,…

■ Taveuni, in the northern Fijian archipelago, is one of the jewels of the Pacific, especially for those who are searching for the romance of the South Pacific, the endemic and indigenous beauty of the verdant tropics, and a rich and diverse culture. Taveuni’s Rainbow Reef is world-renowned for spectacular diving, but an unexplored aspect of Taveuni is its incredible sport fishing. All the prime fishing habitats are there, and they are accessible five minutes from shore, opening out to vast, virtually virgin fishing grounds in every direction. The Somosomo Straits and outlaying areas and small islands are dotted with acres of birds and teeming with bait fish, primarily skipjack, small yellowfin tuna, scad, flying fish, mackerel and ballyhoo. Within a day’s range, anglers can expect to find all types…

■ Everyone thought the humuhumunukunukuapua‘a was Hawaii’s state fish. As it turns out, the brightly colored fish with the excessively long name has been dethroned. The news shook the world of Rep. Blake Oshiro, who found out the designation was no longer official from Joel Itomura, a 6-year-old fish-loving son of a friend and constituent. “I was really surprised,” said Rep. Oshiro, who has drawn up a bill that would make the humuhumunukunukuapua‘a-also known as the rectangular triggerfish or “humuhumu” for short-the official state fish for the islands. The stubby-nosed, brightly striped and slightly aggressive little fish whose name few tourists even try to utter (it’s pronounced HOO-moo-HOO-moo-NOO-koo-NOO-koo-AH-poo-AH-ah) is commonly believed to be the state’s favorite. The fish figures into tourist trinkets, broadcast commercials and a much-beloved song about a…

■ On Friday, January 27, 2006, the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) voted unanimously to hold public hearings on proposed amendments to existing lay gillnet rules in order to better protect Hawaii’s fishery resources. The vote was made at the board’s semi-monthly business meeting. “These lay gillnet restrictions are a major, necessary step forward in making sure we have fish for the future,” said Peter Young, DLNR chairperson. “We have been moving this process progressively and involving communities statewide in discussions of needed change,” he said. “One of the key features of these rules is that they will be much easier to enforce, and that, in turn, provides greater protection for our resources,” Chairperson Young said. “We are planning to hold the hearings once the proposed rules have…

■ If you think you have been to a place with lots of birds, but have not yet been to Midway, then you cannot imagine what a lot is. Albatross are everywhere, as far as the eye can see. Also known as gooney birds, these inhabitants of Midway Atoll cover nearly every piece of ground, nesting their eggs and filling the air with the sounds of clapping beaks and bird calls. At dusk, the skies are filled with petrels returning to their burrows after a day of fishing. Large green sea turtles and monk seals haul out to bask in the sun on the beaches, while schools of fish dart through the clear and transparent ocean water. In the lagoon, a 60-lb ulua gets up close and personal. Around a…

Making Trolling Lures: Part II ■ Here’s more valuable information for all of you who have asked for advice on how to get started making Kona-style plastic trolling lures. Reminder: I began this series with a specific point of view, which I’ll recap in case you missed Part I. I am against the common practice of copying a lure somebody else has designed, developed and produced and then passing it off as your own. We’ll teach you how to make your own original prototype from which you can then make molds and duplicates. We’ll show you how to get started by using suitable “found objects” as molds. (Last month, the “found object” mold was the cap/cup from the top of an All brand laundry detergent bottle.) Warning: some lure-makers have…

Dogs Kill Ka‘ena Seabirds ■ Dogs ravaged at least 25 wedge-tailed shearwater chicks at Ka‘ena Point Natural Area Reserve. Reports state German shepherds, Labradors and Rhodesian ridgebacks roam the reserve. There is a concern that the dogs might attack albatross chicks in the upcoming nesting season. There are only 50 pairs of Laysan albatross at Ka‘ena. Dogs killing albatross were a problem in the late 1990s. Fences helped. There are fines of up to $15,000 for killing migratory birds. Recently, shearwaters have built 97 nests and hatched 66 chicks. Fifty-five have been seen flying. Shearwaters nest in burrows, but at the end of the nesting season the chicks sit at the burrow mouths until they can fly. Longliners Break On Hilo Rocks There’s been a frenzy of longliner crashes off…

■ Conventional wisdom tells us that customer service is dead and people don’t matter anymore in this digital age. While we’ve all been victims of poor customer service at one time or another, I’d argue that successful companies and organizations understand the importance of satisfying the people they service. For example, I watched with awe the other day when a Hawaiian Airlines gate agent plucked a gentleman out of line who was casually displaying his frequent flyer card and quickly checked him in using an electronic kiosk. Within minutes, he was on his way and I was left, still standing in line, wondering why I hadn’t signed up for Hawaiian’s frequent flyer club yet, or at minimum, checked in using their online service. You see it at the grocery store,…

Dear Chuck, Every now and then I’ll take my kids to the beach and cast out a few lines, just in case. However, being more of boat fisherman now, all my obsolete “ulua gear” has been left on Maui to collect dust. Over the years I’ve resorted to using my 7-foot boat rods for shorecasting. You can imagine how silly I felt. Other shorecasters must have shaken their heads and laughed, watching me fish with my stubby rods. After years of feeling inadequate, I finally bit the bullet and had two Big Catch graphite rods custom-wrapped. These rods are easy to cast and perfect for small game like ‘o‘io, papio and maybe a small ulua, or so I thought. I would discover that these rods also catch big ulua! Fast-forward…

For letters, with photos, received during March we’ll send you HFN’s Holoholo Embroidered cap with HFN logo…our way of saying thanks for sharing your catch! …Hana pa‘a, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25488, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96825 Hi Chuck, Here’s Janelle Olores with her 8-lb ‘o‘io that she caught in front of Grandpa Bernardo Olores’ house in Kekaha, Kaua‘i. About two months prior, she caught a 5-lb ‘o‘io and her husband Joshua brought in an 8-lb papio a month later. Aloha, Millie Olores Kekaha, Kaua‘i Yo Chuck! Check it out! Here’s a picture of my dad with a 3-lb papio caught on the west side. Living in San Diego, he doesn’t get a chance to fish that often. So, every chance we get when he comes home, we fish. He caught…