COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 489 
THE FISHERIES OF KAUAI. 
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This island, which is the most northerly of the group, is about 63 
miles from Oahu, the nearest large island, and has a length of 25 miles, 
a breadth of 22 miles, and an area of 547 square miles. It is moun- 
tainous, like the rest of the group, but, owing to its greater age, the 
lava which was vomited forth by,its long extinct volcanoes has nearly 
all decomposed, and as a result the soil is very much more fertile than 
that of the other islands. It is supplied with numerous streams and 
vascades and has some superb valleys; it has been well named the 
**Garden Isle.” The chief drawback is its lack of good harbors, all of 
the small\bays around the island being wind-swept at some season of 
the year. 
The island is divided into five districts: Hanalei, Kawaihu, Lihue, 
Koloa, and Waimea. The principal towns are Waimea, Lihue, and 
Hanalei, and at the time of the census of 1900 the population of the 
island was 20,562. 
Although in the waters adjacent to this island fish are very abun- 
dant, only spasmodic efforts are made to catch them. The greater 
part of the fishing is carried on by native huis, or companies, which 
possess probably the best equipment to be found in the whole group, 
- but lack the inclination to use it persistently. But few of the nets are 
operated more than once or twice a week, and if an exceptional catch 
is made the native fishermen will not go out again until they have 
spent all of its proceeds. This is especially true of that part of the 
coast lying between Nawiliwili and Hanalei. Asa result there are 
gluts of fish for a few days near the fishery and then a period of 
scarcity, which varies in duration according to the inclination of the 
natives. The few seines owned by Chinese are operated consistently 
and well, and the Japanese, who devote their attention to the line fish- 
eries principally, are steady workers. The inhabitants in the easily 
accessible portions of the interior of the island are served with fresh 
fish by a few peddlers who buy up the surplus catch of the fisheries 
and carry it around in small carts and wagons drawn by horses. Many 
of the inhabitants, however, find it impossible to secure fresh fish at 
any price during the greater part of the year and are forced to depend 
upon salted and canned products. 
The products of the river fisheries of the island, which are insignifi- 
cant, have been included with the shore fisheries. <A little fishing was 
carried on in the Hanapepe, Hoale, Waiaula, and Waimea rivers, with 
cast and dip nets, traps and opae baskets. Ama-ama, o6pu, and opae 
were the only species taken. 
Carp are quite common in the irrigation ditches throughout the island, 
and with gold-fish and a Chinese species of cat-fish are quite numer- 
ous in the upper reaches of the River Haole and in private fish ponds 
in the Lihue district. But few are taken for market, however. 
