Hookups, Haiku and Happy Times
Fourteen third-graders from the Volcano School of Arts and Sciences were supposed to be in school. Though fishing, they were not truants because they were fishing in the seaside classroom of John Kahiapu, Division of Aquatic Resources Hawai‘i Island education specialist.
John was teaching the DAR Hawaii Fishing Education Course, “Fishing Basics,” at Coconut Island, or Moku Ola, a small island in Hilo Bay just offshore from Liliuokalani Gardens. Coconut Island is a small park, accessed by a 200-foot bridge. Topics John covered included fishing gear and methods, fish biology and habitat, fishing safety, conservation and fisheries management, instructional materials, fishing gear and technical expertise.
First on the agenda was safety. John explained to the children that the island has been inundated many times by…