COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 



727 



made early in the morning, and a number oi' canoes usually go out together, many of 

 the occupants being women, as no particular skill is required on the part of the 

 general hands. The work is directed by the kilo, or spy, who is generally in a light 

 canoe manned by two or three hands. He stands up on the cross-tics of his canoe, 

 and shading his eyes with his hand, watches for signs of the school. As soon as he 

 discerns a strong ripple, which appears to indicate the presence of the school, he 

 signals to the rest of the canoes, which at once surround it. The kilo points out the 

 best place for dropping the net, and as soon as it is in place the canoes approach 

 quickly, the men splashing the water with their hands and poles, and driving the 

 school before them into the open bag. The malolo will not dive to any depth, and 

 are always found swimming very near the surface, so that, when completely sur- 

 rounded bj' the canoes, the}'^ can be driven wherever wanted. This fishing is called 

 lawaia-o-kaiuli, "blue-sea fishing," by the natives, as they frequently have to go 

 several miles out to sea after the fish. A favorite spot is ofi' Waikiki beach on Oaliu. 

 The malolo is frequently pounded up fine by the natives and eaten raw, mixed with 

 other substances. 



The iheihe (a species of halfbeak, Eulept'irham-phnK)^ a long, thin fish, usually a 

 foot and a half in length, with a very sharp-pointed snout, generally arrives at the 

 islands about the same time as the malolo and the akule, and is sometimes captured 

 in a similar net and in the manner alreadjr described. 



The largest bag net in use is the upena kolo, and owing to its size it can be used at 

 only a few places around the islands, Honolulu harbor being the principal one. The 

 bag is fine meshed, so that small fishes can not escap(\ and is It! to 2-i fathoms in 

 depth, very narrow at the extreme end, but widening into an immense fiaring mouth. 

 Attached to the mouth on each side are wings 16 to %) fathoms deep. This net is 

 swept around the harbor by natives in canoes, who pull the net with ropes, scooping 

 up everj'thing in its path, the principal species tak(>n being the hahalalu, the 3'oung 

 of the akule, and the amaama, or mullet. 



Upena poo is a small bag net, with a light supple pole cut f i-oiu the pohuehue 

 {IiyiiiKva j>i'x-c<(j)rtv) vine for the mouth. This pole forms three-fourths of a circle 

 when not in use. When in operation the fisherman draws the two ends together, 

 crosses them, and holds them tight in his hand. A small stick, with pieces of rag 

 or lau hala leaves attached to the end, is also a part of his equipment. The canoe 

 is paddled immediately over a rocky bottom where holes are numerous, then the 

 fisherman takes the bag in his left hand and the small stick in his right, and dives. 

 He pushes the bag close up to one of the holes and with the stick brushes the fish 

 into it. He then allows the two ends of the pole to slide down in his hand until 

 they lie parallel, and this nearly closes the mouth of the liag, after which he ascends 

 to the surface and empties the bag into his boat. 



Another style of net is arranged upon two sticks parallel to each other, about 

 6 inches apart, the bag being about 2i feet in depth and width. One stick is supple, 

 while the other is rigid. The fisherman pushes the pliable stick along the other until 

 its end is about the middle of the latter, and holds it thus bowed out and making an 

 opening for the fish. When he wants to close it he merely lets the stick slide back 

 until it is even with the other, when he holds both tight. 



