252 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



all taken. It at night, numbers of rock fish are also taken with those 

 that spread in schools. 



The finest of all kinds of nets (" nae ") has only one-fourth inch mesh. 

 The " pua " net is for young mullet fry for stocking ponds or for eating. 

 This net is generally a piece, a fathom square, attached on two sides 

 to sticks about 3 feet in length and fulled in, the bottom rope being 

 shorter than the upper one and forming an irregular square opening 

 to a shallow bag, which is supplemented by a long narrow bag about 3 

 or 4 inches wide and 2 feet deep. The sea convolvulus, generally found 

 growing on the beach, is twisted, leaves, branchlets, and all, into two 

 thick, bushy roi)es some 15 or 20 feet in length, and these are attached 

 on each side of' the net to the side sticks ; these lines are then drawn 

 forward in a semicircle sweeping the shoals of fry before them till 

 enough are partly inclosed, when the two free ends are brought rapidly 

 together in a circle, which is gradually reduced, the same as in long- 

 net fishing, till the fry are all driven into the bag. 



The same size of mesh (| inch); but made into a much larger bag, is 

 used in fishing for " ohua," a small kind of fish very highly i)rized by 

 the natives, which lives in and feeds upon the coarse alga that grows 

 on coral in shallow water. Long ropes, 100, 200, or even 300 fathoms 

 in length, having dry "ki" leaves braided on them by the stems, the 

 blade ends of the leaves hanging loose, are started from a given ]>lace 

 in opposite directions to sweep around and finally inclose a circle, which 

 is afterwards reduced in the same manner as in long fishing. Great 

 numbers of men, women, and children assist at this kind of fishing to 

 hold the ropes down to the bottom, and by the splashing and disturb- 

 ance of the alga drive the fish away from the ropes and into the net. 

 Persons are generally stationed every yard or so on the ropes for this 

 purjjose and also to disentangle the ropes if caught on a rock or other 

 ()bstru(;ti()n. When the circle is narrowed to from 10 to 15 feet in 

 diameter one end of the ropes is untied and the ends attached to the 

 ends of the side sticks of the bag-net, forming a guard on each side, 

 and the circle further reduced till the fish are all driven into the net. 



Tlie diver's net is a small bag of 2-inch mesh, about 2i feet across the 

 opening or mouth of the bag and the same in depth. Two sticks are 

 attached on each sid« of the opening, leaving a space of half a foot in 

 width between them. This net is managed by one person, who dives to 

 the small caves and holes at the bottom of the sea, which are always 

 well known to the local fishermen, aiul placing his net across the open- 

 ing or hole, mouth inwards, he then inserts a slender rod, with a tuft 

 of grass at tlie end, into the hole, and gently drives the fish which may 

 be in there into the open mouth of his net, which hecloses by joining 

 the two sticks together. Then ])lacing his driving stick over the closed 

 mouth as afiirllui- preventive, he rises to the surface, and emptying 

 his biig into the canoe, goes to another cave or fish-hole, where he re- 

 peats the operation till tired or satisfied with the quantity cauglit. 



