COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 489 

 THE FISHERIES OF KAUAI. 



This island, which is the most northerly of the group, is about 63 

 miles fi'oni 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 

 cascades 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 live 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 tish 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. As a 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 principall}^, 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 

 au}^ 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, oopu, 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. 



