402 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
Convolvulus, generally found growing on the beach, is twisted, leaves, 
branchlets and all, into two thick bushy ropes some 15 to 20 feet in 
length, and these are attached on each side of the net to the kuku (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 rapidly drawn together in a circle, which is gradu- 
ally reduced till the fry are all driven into the bag.” 
A bag net very similar to the above is used in fishing for ohua, a 
small fish very highly prized by the natives, which lives in and on the 
limu kala, a coarse alga that grows on coral in shallow water. Long 
ropes with dried ki leaves are employed, and the method of operation 
is the same as already described. 
A bag net called kapuni nehu is also used in catching nehu. This 
bag is about 6 feet deep and 3 feet wide at the mouth. Two parallel 
sticks are used to keep the mouth open. When a school of nehu are 
seen working their way along close inshore, two men go out with the 
net, each holding one of the sticks. Others get in the rear of and on 
the sides of the school and frighten it into the bag. When the fish 
have gone in, the sticks are brought together, thus closing the bag, 
which is then hauled ashore or put into a canoe and emptied, These 
bags are of exceedingly fine mesh and are made of a certain kind of 
Chinese netting, which is said to be exceedingly strong. 
A bag net, called upena uhu, is employed in catching the uhu, some 
highly prized Labroid fishes, chiefly species of Calotomus. This is made 
of a square piece of netting which has been gathered slightly on the 
ropes and attached at the four corners to slender strong sticks tied 
together at the middle in such a way that they will cross each other at 
this spot and can be closed together when wanted. A string is tied at 
the crossing place of the sticks and the net is manipulated by this 
string. When these sticks are crossed they spread the net open in the 
form of a shallow bag. The fisherman first catches an uhu of the 
variety to be fished for by means of hook and line. He secures this 
to a line run through its gills and mouth, and then lowers it at a spot 
where the uhu congregate and gently works it back and forth. The 
uhu in the vicinity are attracted and angered by the strange antics of 
the decoy and swim up close to observe it. The net is gently lowered 
to a little distance from the decoy, and the latter is then slowly drawn 
into the net. The others rush into the net after the decoy, when, by 
a peculiar twitch and pull on the string, the fisherman causes the sticks 
to swing around and lie parallel, which closes the mouth of the bag, 
and it is then drawn to the surface and emptied into the canoe and the 
operation repeated with a fresh decoy. 
There are two varieties of uhu, one of a reddish color and the other 
green. The red variety is preferred by the natives, who eat it raw. 
This same net is used for other species of rock- fish, in such cases a 
decoy of the species sought being used. 
