Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2017 i Hawaii Fishing News

Early in 2016 I purchased one of the last “haole sampans” to be made here in Hawai‘i, the Nalu Kea. It was beautifully designed and made by Murakami and Son Yacht Builders in 1988, but she had not been used frequently for years and had fallen into disrepair. I thought she was worth restoring and guided her to Kona for the long process of discovering all the pilikia (mischief) that lay beneath her decks. It has been quite an adventure. The repeated breakdowns and mysteries gradually led all of my fishing friends to feel that perhaps some stink nukumane‘o (disembodied spirit) had taken shelter in her stout beams over her long years in the Hawaiian fish pond in Hawai‘i Kai. This year we pounded mochi with a wonderful group of…

How About Wastewater, Injection Wells, Fertilizer? University of Hawai‘i scientists published a study that showed that discharged treated wastewater and high nitrogen levels are found in the nearshore waters of Maui. Recent DLNR closures of fishing grounds have been blamed on fishermen, but is pollution a main culprit? The study of Kahului Bay found high nutrient levels in waters near the Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facility, which is Maui’s highest-volume sewage treatment plant. The scientists also found colonies of “thick, fleshy mat” zoanthids, which are a coral-like organism. “I’ve never seen them dominate an ecosystem like that,” stated Daniel Amato, lead author of the study. Daniel’s study said that the zoanthids have been linked to wastewater injection wells. Ka‘upulehu, the site of the controversial 10-year Big Island no-fishing closure, also has…

Hilo Trollers News The Hilo Trollers Annual Meeting was held after this issue of HFN went to press. I will report on that meeting, the approved final tournament dates, the new board of directors and any other important meeting news in the March “Hilo Seawatch.” Meanwhile, it is only two months until the club’s first tournament in April. It is time to begin prepping both your boat and your gear, especially your safety gear. You should do radio checks, and check your running lights, EPIRB and PLBs, jackets, strobe batteries and safety placards. Your engine(s) should be tuned with fresh oil. To be prepared for the “big one,” you should re-leader your lures, touch up hooks, service reels and roller guides, and, if necessary, spool fresh line. It is just…

February 1 - Sunrise: 7:08 am, Sunset: 6:22 pm • February 15 - Sunrise: 7:02 am, Sunset: 6:30 pm • February 28 - Sunrise: 6:52 am, Sunset: 6:36 pm FISHING FADS CURRENT UPDATE Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology RECENTLY DEPLOYED MM BB RN U CC KK V HH AA Z II T CO HK J N EK C X DK VV LL DISCONTINUED: HAWAII QQ / FOR LOCATIONS: WWW.HAWAII.EDU/HIMB/FADS MISSING FADS MAUI HAWAII OAHU HO K OT XX BO M HS KH ZZ DD SO D SS KAUAI Q LA E G WK FF F A CIGUATERA DATE NO. FISH ISLAND 02/07/16 2 BARRACUDAOAHU OAHU 04/25/16 1 UNKNOWN MAUI 06/10/16 1 ULUA KAUAI 08/15/16 2 SEA BASS KAUAI 08/28/16 4 EEL MAUI HAWAII FISHING NEWS (ISSN 0194-65IX) published monthly, Hawaii…

A recently published report titled “Feasibility of a Non-Commercial Fishing Registry, Permit or License System in Hawaii” looked at implementing a recreational fishing license in Hawai‘i. Sadly, some fishermen think the study’s recommendations miss the hook’s sharp barb. Would the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) more effectively serve fishermen, not with a license, but with a departmental breakup? “Undoubtedly, this report will generate considerable discussion and serve as a valuable reference for all those interested in this issue,” said Dr. Bruce Anderson, Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) administrator. Up for discussion but missing from the study was whether or not the DLNR should divest hunting from the Division of Forestry and Wildlife and combine it with the DAR, thus creating a new state Hawai‘i Fish and Game Agency.…

You’re offshore on your boat enjoying yourself, when you spot something floating. You pull up and see that it’s a SUP (empty kayak or dive buoy). You’re happy you found something, then you think, I wonder where the owner is. They may be floating and in trouble! There are no visual markings or numbers. Your responsibility is to call the U.S. Coast Guard or other emergency response team and notify them of what you found, when and where. The U.S. Coast Guard will generally start an extensive and expensive search. Is a person in danger, floating in the water somewhere, or did their SUP (kayak or dive buoy) just float or blow away from the beach or a boat? Is the person is safe and sound? This uncertainty can be…

Last Big One of the Year It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime for 14-year-old Garret Lazaro from Utah when he headed out of Kewalo Basin with us on the MAGGIE JOE. The fish came up on a 1980s Joe Yee Super Plunger, a special lure that only goes out once in a blue moon (primarily when we are looking for a fish over 500 lbs). Once again, it did not disappoint. The long corner reel screamed off about 500 yards of line. We backed down, chasing the fish at 5 to 8 knots, and quickly returned the line to the spool. On the bite, I had seen the fish for only a split second and called it around 200 lbs. As the leader came up, the…

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (the Council) was hopeful that when President Obama arrived in Honolulu last December, he would acknowledge the $100 million commercial fishing industry in Hawai‘i and the impacts on that fishery by his expansions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (MNM) in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and the Pacific Remote Islands MNM, which includes nearby Johnston Atoll. The value of the Hawai‘i longline fishery is in excess of $300 million when factoring in retail markets and support industries and their employees. The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center has reported that the expanded Papahanaumokuakea MNM may account for a potential loss of about 2.5 million pounds per year of tuna and other pelagic species worth on average $8 million, more…

Send to: P.O. Box 25488, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96825 or e-mail: <fishnews@hawaii.rr.com> Aloha Chuck, Wanted to send you a couple of cool pics. First of all, the Alaska Gang got 50% bigger in the fall of 2015, when all three families had boys within 1 month of each other! They’ve already gone on some trips together including to Alaska this past summer, which obviously added a interesting dynamic to the trip! Figuring an RV would be too difficult, we rented a cabin this year which worked out pretty well. The sockeye run in the river was again put to the test by the management of the fishery, and it was extremely slow. We managed to get REALLY lucky on our King Charter, with Charise and Stacy pulling in a couple of…