722 BULLETIIvr OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



Ill fishing- around clustois of rocks the natives generally surround the rocks 

 with a gill net, which is held to the bottom by means of leads or pebbles attached 

 to the lower line, while the upper line is supported at the surface by pieces of wood 

 of tlie hau {//ih/scus til ulceus) and kukui {AJenrites trllobd), which are very light. 

 The fisliermen dive down to the bottom, inside of the net, and drive the fishes from 

 the crevices of the rocks, to be enmeshed as they dart away in all directions. In 

 this kind of fishing nets about 55 feet in length and 7 feet deep are used, two or 

 more nets being laced together if greater length is desired. 



Gill nets are also used at times along the beaches on the leeward side of the 

 islands, where the surf is not heavy, the same as seines. Two men take hold of one 

 end of a long net and wade out from the shore in a straight line for a considerable 

 distance. The land end of the net is held by a man on the beach. After they have 

 gone out a sufficient distance, the two men make a big sweep to one side and then 

 pull their end of the net to shore a short distance from the other man. The net is 

 then carefully drawn in, like a haul-seine, until it comes out on the beach, fish and 

 all. These nets are usually 20 fathom.s in length, 9 feet deep, with 2-inch mesh, and 

 are fitted with leads and corks. Several of them are usually joined together. No 

 boats are emplojed in this mode of fishing. 



In fishing for ula (crawfish) the same style of net, with a 7-inch mesh, is frequently 

 set ai'ound a rock or cluster of rocks in the early e\ening and allowed to remain 

 there all night. As the ula come out to feed during the night thej' become entangled 

 in the meshes of the net. Another method is to join a number of nets together, 

 putting in the center the net with the smallest mesh. These are then placed on two 

 canoes, which are rowed to the usual fishing ground, which is generally not far from 

 the shore. One man stands upright in order to see the schools of fish more cleaiiv. 

 As soon as a school has been sighted the boats are paddled to seaward of it and then 

 in opposite directions, the nets being paid out as they go. After thus sweeping 

 some distance the boats return to shore, when the net is hauled in and the various 

 sections removed, like a seine, until the fine-meshed part is about 50 feet from the 

 beach. The fishermen then spiing into the water and draw the two ends together, 

 making a circle, which is further contracted by removing more sections from the 

 ends of the net, until the fish are inclosed in the fine-meshed portion. At certain 

 fisheries the net is then anchored and the fish allowed to remain in it until they are 

 wanted for shipment, when they are removed by means of a small seine, swept 

 arovind inside of this improvised pound; and when the fish have been bagged in this 

 thej^ are removed hy small dip nets. The principal species taken are the oio (ladv 

 fish, kala (hog-fish), nenue (rudder-fish), and large awa-kalamoho (milk-fish). 



In a ^ ariation of this method the boats cany the nets in a circle, one boat pass- 

 ing within the course of the other when thej' meet, and continuing until there is a 

 coil of netting around the fish. The purpose of this is to insure the capture of the 

 fish in outer rings of the coil if they escape the inner ones, and when the trap has 

 Ijeen thus set the fishermen jump into the inner circle, and, by beating the water 

 with their canoe poles, frighten the fish into the nets, where they arc enmeshed. 



Sometimes the net is dropped in a half circle, with a man at each end to hold it 

 thus. Other fishermen then make a wide sweep to the opposite side of the opening' 

 from ^vhence they advance, beating the water violently with their arms to drive the 



