﻿CLXX 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  times 
  tlie 
  natives 
  from 
  their 
  lookouts 
  would 
  discover 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  

   schools 
  of 
  fry, 
  and 
  then 
  in 
  their 
  canoes, 
  or 
  by 
  wading, 
  would 
  drive 
  the 
  

   fry 
  toward 
  the 
  pond 
  walls, 
  where 
  they 
  would 
  escape 
  through 
  the 
  inter- 
  

   stices 
  into 
  the 
  ponds. 
  In 
  this 
  manner 
  the 
  ponds 
  were 
  stocked. 
  It 
  is 
  

   probable 
  that 
  many 
  again 
  ibund 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  sea, 
  but 
  a 
  large 
  part, 
  

   no 
  doubt, 
  learned 
  the 
  protection 
  the 
  walls 
  afforded 
  against 
  predatory 
  

   fishes, 
  and 
  remained 
  to 
  grow 
  up 
  and 
  fatten. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  

   walls 
  are 
  filled 
  uj) 
  solid, 
  but 
  openings 
  or 
  gratings, 
  protected 
  by 
  grated 
  

   gates 
  to 
  i)revent 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  fishes, 
  are 
  left 
  at 
  intervals 
  

   for 
  the 
  ingress 
  and 
  egress 
  of 
  the 
  tide 
  waters. 
  In 
  stocking 
  the 
  ponds 
  

   the 
  fry 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  small 
  nets 
  of 
  mosquito 
  netting 
  or 
  other 
  open 
  

   woven 
  fabric, 
  placed 
  in 
  pails 
  and 
  tubs, 
  and 
  quickly 
  transported 
  to 
  the 
  

   ponds; 
  some 
  few 
  are 
  driven 
  through 
  the 
  gratings 
  with 
  the 
  entering 
  

   tide. 
  The 
  mullet 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  fish 
  intentionally 
  introduced, 
  but 
  natur- 
  

   ally 
  by 
  the 
  methods 
  employed 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  species 
  enter, 
  which 
  generally 
  

   are 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  mullet, 
  and 
  are 
  removed 
  whenever 
  it 
  is 
  

   possible 
  to 
  do 
  so. 
  

  

  Pond 
  mullet 
  are 
  considered 
  the 
  finest, 
  and 
  when, 
  sea 
  mullet 
  bring 
  10 
  

   cents 
  a 
  ])ound 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  ponds 
  find 
  ready 
  purchasers 
  at 
  13 
  cents. 
  

   The 
  pond 
  mullet 
  is 
  the 
  fish 
  usually 
  eaten 
  raw 
  by 
  the 
  natives; 
  from 
  6,000 
  

   to 
  10,000 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  marketed 
  in 
  Honolulu 
  each 
  week, 
  besides 
  those 
  

   taken 
  at 
  sea. 
  

  

  OYSTERS. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  oyster 
  was 
  a 
  native 
  of 
  these 
  waters 
  and 
  occurred 
  in 
  great 
  

   numbers 
  is 
  evidenced 
  by 
  the 
  numerous 
  oyster-banks 
  found 
  in 
  different 
  

   localities 
  now 
  raised 
  above 
  the 
  sea 
  level 
  and 
  having 
  an 
  earthy 
  covering. 
  

   When 
  visiting 
  the 
  fish-ponds 
  on 
  the 
  Pearl 
  Lochs, 
  I 
  examined 
  the 
  ancient 
  

   oyster-banks 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  middle 
  loch, 
  on 
  the 
  neck 
  which 
  

   joins 
  Waipu 
  with 
  the 
  mainland. 
  The 
  shore 
  line 
  here 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  ver- 
  

   tical 
  bluff 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  feet 
  high, 
  with 
  a 
  stratum 
  of 
  oyster 
  shells 
  6 
  to 
  8 
  

   feet 
  thick. 
  This 
  stratum 
  is 
  exposed 
  on 
  the 
  loch 
  face 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  half 
  

   a 
  mile, 
  and 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  traced 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  distance 
  across 
  the 
  peninsula. 
  

   From 
  specimens 
  procured 
  it 
  seems 
  that 
  they 
  closely 
  resemble 
  our 
  own 
  

   oyster 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast. 
  These 
  are 
  not 
  shell 
  heaps, 
  like 
  those 
  on 
  

   our 
  Southern 
  coast 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  localities, 
  but 
  are 
  entire, 
  in 
  sitti, 
  as 
  

   both 
  valves 
  are 
  usually 
  in 
  place 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  readily 
  removed. 
  They 
  do 
  

   not 
  seem 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  masses 
  or 
  clusters, 
  but 
  are 
  large 
  single 
  oysters, 
  in 
  

   size 
  resembling 
  the 
  better 
  varieties 
  of 
  the 
  marketable 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  

   oysters. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  these 
  oyster-banks 
  were 
  formed 
  layer 
  by 
  

   layer, 
  the 
  upper 
  ones 
  smothering 
  the 
  lower, 
  until 
  through 
  some 
  natural 
  

   cause 
  the 
  beds 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  mud 
  and 
  afterwards 
  lifted 
  above 
  the 
  

   sea 
  level. 
  On 
  this 
  little 
  i^eninsula, 
  in 
  two 
  different 
  places, 
  I 
  examined 
  

   the 
  remains 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  pearl 
  oysters, 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  

   occurred 
  in 
  pockets 
  among 
  the 
  other 
  oysters. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  at 
  present 
  

   a 
  few 
  pearl 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  off 
  Beckoning 
  Point. 
  

  

  Upon 
  invitation 
  of 
  Hon. 
  John 
  F. 
  Colburn 
  I 
  vistted 
  his 
  fish 
  and 
  oyster 
  

   pond 
  on 
  Pearl 
  Lochs. 
  In 
  reply 
  to 
  an 
  inquiry 
  requesting 
  information 
  

  

  