Walled Fish Traps of Pearl Harbor. 



By John F. G. Stokes. 



Among the few remaining evidences of early Hawaiian life 

 are the walled fish traps, pounds or weirs at the entrance to Pearl 

 Harbor, Oahu. The}' are particularly interesting as not occurring 

 elsewhere in the group, probably for the reason that conditions 

 favorable to their operation are only to be found at this one place. 



The Hawaiians have had for man}' years a system of raising 

 fish for food within ponds and walled enclosures, called loko, ad- 

 jacent to the sea, the varieties being confined to such shore fishes 

 as amaama (Mugtl ccphalus Linnaeus), and azva {Chanos chanos 

 Forskal ) , and an occasional moi (Polydactylus sexfilis Cuv. & Val. ) , 

 kaku {Sphyrcena snodgrassi Jenkins), or oopuhue (Tctraodon sp.) 

 which may have entered the pond when young. The system is still 

 in use in all the islands, more particularly on Molokai 1 and Oahu, 

 and has already been referred to by Dr. J.N. Cobb. 2 There was also 

 a method of taking fish in weirs in the mountain torrents, in which 

 the stream was dammed with a transverse wall just above the 

 rapids and conducted by means of a canal over a horizontal sieve 

 of long slender sticks lying parallel and close together. During 

 floods, when the waters of the stream were rendered muddy, great 

 quantities of oopa (fresh water gobies) were caught in these weirs. 



The Pearl Harbor fish traps on the other hand were used for 

 the purpose of taking the ocean fishes which had entered the har- 

 bor, the principal being the akule ( Trachurops crumenophthalma 

 Bloch), oio {Albula vulpes Linnaeus), weke {Mulloides and Pseudu- 

 pencus sp.) , a.\\d. pualu (Hepatus guntheri Jenkins) , and the maki- 

 azva ( Etntmeus micropus Schlegel ) . Occasionally other fishes were 

 taken in small numbers such as kawakawa and aku (Gymnosarda 

 sp.), opelu (Decapterus pinnulatus Eyd. & Soul.), sharks — in fact 



1 On this island, use was made of very large ponds, in the walls of which 

 were numerous entrances and exits — the fish being netted while attempting 

 to pass through. It is hoped to illustrate these structures at a later date. 



2 U. S. Fish Commission Bulletin, vol. xxiii, pt. 2, p. 746. 



[199] '23) 



