COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 737 



crawfish at a time. Occasionally the fishermen are severeljr bitten hy puhis, which 

 at times make their homes in the ula holes. 



Nearlj^ all the mollusks are gathered l>y hand. The opihi (limpet), which 

 attaches itself to rocks, is detached hy knives. The beche-demer (sea slug), wana 

 and ina (sea eggs) are also taken by hand. 



The varieties of limu (alga?) which are eaten by the natives are all gathered b}^ 

 hand, and this forms quite a profitable business for a number of women and children 

 on the various islands. 



LINE-FISHING. 



Fishing with rod, hook, and line (called l)y the natives "paeaea") is not practiced 

 to any considerable extent commercially, except for aku (bonito). In this fisherj^ 

 mother-of-pearl hooks, made from the shell of a mollusk, now quite rare, are used. 

 These hooks are called pa, and as they glisten with an iridescence like the shimmer 

 from the scales of the smaller kinds of fish on which the aku lives, no bait is needed. 



The shell portion of the hook is barbed on the inner side with bone, and two 

 tufts of hog's bristles are attached to the barbed end at right angles to it, for the 

 purpose of keeping the inner side up, so that the shell will lie flat on the surface of 



used in fishing. 



the sea. The bone portion of the hook is usually a dog tusk, but sometimes it is a 

 piece of human bone, ivory, or tortoise shell. An iron hook, with the curved portion 

 bent o\'er so far that the point runs almost parallel with the shank, is sometimes used. 

 Brass hooks also are employed at times. In line fishing double canoes are generally 

 found more convenient and much safer, as the fishing is done a considerable distance 

 from shore. 



On reaching the fishing-ground the fishermen locate the fish by watching the sea 

 gulls, which will be seen hovering over the schools. It is the habit of the fish to run 

 against the tide, and as soon as the school has been sighted the canoes are worked 

 around in front of it, and the fish are attracted toward the boat by means of a handful 

 or two of the small live bait thrown into the water. These small fish are usually the 

 nehu, iiao, and the young of various species. There are three men in each canoe, 

 but only one man in each engages directly in fishing, the others managing the canoe. 

 These two men stand up in the stern of the boat, holding in their hands a bamboo 

 pole about 12 feet long with a line of the same length attached, and the pearl hook 

 tied to the end of this line. By a quick movement the line and hook are slapped 

 violently on the surface of the water and then drawn toward the boat. The aku are 

 attracted by the noise, and seeing the glittering hook, which looks like a young fish, 



