256 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



opeuing in the wall and widen out gradually till they are from S to 10 

 feet wide at the ends. At night when the tide is coming in, a man, or 

 more frequently a woman, takes a small scoop-net just wide enough to 

 fill the entrance of the opening and of 3 or 4 feet in depth, wades out to 

 the entrance of one of these runs, and sitting on a raised stone platform 

 on its side, made for that purpose, holds the net in the water at the en- 

 trance of an opening towards the sea and sits very quiet until a jerk in 

 the net is felt, when it is immediately pulled up before the fish have 

 time to return, and the fish are dropped into a gourd or basket, when the 

 net is imioediately returned to the water and waiting and watching are 

 resumed. Two persons generally go to this kind of fishing and sit on 

 opposite sides of the entrance, so that as one net is raised another one 

 is still there, as under certain conditions of the water and weather two 

 persons will be kept busy scooping up fish as fast as the nets can be 

 lowered. No fish must be allowed to get free as that would put a stop 

 to the fishing at that entrance during that turn of the tide. 



These entrances are favorite stations for the ground-sharks of the 

 neighborhood to prey on the fish as they go in or out, and so when the 

 tide is about medium height the fishing people return to shore, as their 

 jdatforms would be entirely submerged at high tide. At the turn of the 

 tide, and when the i^latforms are exposed, other parties take their turn 

 at the lanes, using those with entrances opening inwards. These fish 

 ponds are sometimes owned by the projjrietors of two adjoining lands, 

 the people of one owning the right to fish during the rise of the tide 

 and the other during the ebb. Long nets are also used in these ponds, 

 but only during the condition of the tide belonging to each. 



The large salt or brackish water ponds, entirely inclosed, have one, 

 two, or four gates. These are of straight sticks tied on to two or three 

 cross- beams, the sticks in the upright standing as closely as possible, 

 so that no fish half an inch in thickness can pass them, while the water 

 and young fry can pass freely in and out. Scoop-nets the width of the 

 gates are used at these places at the flow of the tide to scoop up such 

 fish as may be desired by the owner or pond-keeper for family use. 

 When any large quantity is wanted the long net is used, the same as 

 in shallow-sea fishing. 



Fresh-water ponds are very seldom over half an acre in extent, and 

 are for "oopu" and "opae" preserves, and sometimes for "awa," a kind 

 of tropical salmon that breeds in brackish water and will live and grow 

 fat in perfectly fresh water. The young fry of this fish are procured in 

 shallow waters on the beach where a stream or spring of fresh water 

 mingles with the sea, and are carried sometimes many miles inland in 

 large gourds with water. 



The catfish has been introduced within four years, and is doing well. 

 Carp have also been introduced very recently, but it is yet too early to 

 pronounce on the success of the exi)erimeut. 



Honolulu, June 25, 1883. 



