Did you go fishing along the coastline, caught fish but didn’t know the name of the fish, or how to clean or cook the fish?
Well, Hawai‘i’s Reef Fish: Food, Science and Tradition by Cassandra Pardee and Craig Omori is the answer to your questions! I found it at Basically Books in Hilo but I am sure it is also available at other bookstores around the island.
Cassandra Pardee is a fisheries biologist and co-founder of Poseidon Fisheries Research, and Craig Omori is the culinary arts program coordinator at the University of Hawai‘i Maui College.
You caught a striped fish, measuring about 6 inches. It was probably a manini which measures 4.8 to 6.5 inches, with the minimum size you can keep being 5 inches. The state record was a manini weighing in a 1.98 pounds by Jonah Ng of Oahu on April 2, 2021.
If the fish you caught was black with orange eyes, it would have probably been kole. There are no regulations on the size caught with maturity for females at 3.3 inches and males at 3.9 inches. Kole have been known to live for 18 years and the state record was caught by Tyrston Enos of our island on Dec. 6, 2008.
Both fish represent the two most harvested herbivorous reef fish and are favorites for spear fishermen.
I thought this was an interesting bit of information from the book: In Hawaiian culture, when building a house, people would bury kole in the ground where the east-facing posts would go.
“Traditional cooking methods: Manini was one of the most popular fishes among both chiefs and commoners, Both Kole and Manini were eaten raw. You have never eaten Manini until you have eaten it whole, that is, not cleaned of entails.”
I take my grandson to Wailoa Park to try to catch aholehole. I did buy him a fishing rod, even if we have a grove of fishing pole bamboo in the backyard.
Did you know that about 2,500 pounds aholehole are caught annually, mostly caught with a hook and line using bread or shrimp for bait?
The state minimum for keeping is 5 inches. They are two species of aholehole and “both species can form large schools in shallow rocky areas and grow up to 11 inches long.” The state record was caught by Ryan Okino of Hawaii Island at 2.06 pounds on June 24, 2003.
“In Hawaiian culture: The Aholehole was a ‘sea pig’: it was used as a substitute for pig in certain ceremonies when pigs were not available. It was also used in sacrifices when a white fish was needed, such as in a ceremony to keep away evil spirits, because ‘hole’ means ‘to strip away.’”
Small ulua, under 10 pounds, are called papio. The minimum size is 10 inches with a bag limit of 20 for all species. The size at maturity is 23 inches and ulua can live for 31 years. The state record is a 191-pound ulua caught by Al Gadow of Maui on Jan. 14, 1980.
There are 27 species of jacks found in Hawaii. “Ulua aukea can live up to 31 years while Omilu can live to 24 years. Ulua females reach maturity at a larger size than males at 23 inches, compared to 18 inches for males. Both species reach maturity at around 4 years for females and 3 years for males.”
They are like sharks as the most important nearshore predators along the coral reefs. “In Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, predation rates by Ulua and Omilu are greater than the estimated combined predation for the three major shark species.”
In Hawaiian culture: “Ka Ulua o ke kai loa (The Ulua fish is a strong warrior.) The Ulua was kapu (forbidden) for women to eat. The Ulua was also used in religious ceremonies as a substitute if a human sacrifice was not available.”
Ulua aukea are giant trevally while omilu are bluefin trevally.
There are some invasive species of fish, namely ta‘ape, to‘au and roi. They were introduced to our waters in the mid 1950s “to help support recreational fishing and take pressure off of local species. A total of 2,400 ta‘ape were first introduced from the Marquesas Island in Kane‘ohe Bay in 1958. Over 2,000 roi and to‘au each were released at different locations on O‘ahu between 1956-1961.”
Rois are growing in number because they are not a desirable fish due to ciguatera. Ta‘ape forms large schools during the day and at night feed on crabs and small fish. To‘au also feed on crabs and small fish.
Roi live for 25 years and the state record was a 10.2-pounder caught by Kaulana Fuhrmann of Hawaii Island on Jan. 31, 2010.
Ta‘ape live for 10 years and the state record was 2.02 pounds caught by Nelson Kido at Penguin Banks on Feb. 25, 2012.
To‘au live for 34 years and the state record was caught by James Juan of Hawaii Island on May 15, 2007.
Aren’t these interesting facts? There are lots of recipes in this reference cookbook and worth a space on my bookshelf.
Calling all cooks:
The Ka‘u Coffee Festival will be held from June 1 to 8. The Ka‘u Coffee Recipe Contest will kick off the event. Deadline for entry is May 27, so start honing your Ka‘u coffee recipes to create the winning dishes! Just call the Kau Coffee Mill at (808) 928-0550 and let them know you are planning to enter the cooking contest.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
