Evening star., 1896-11-16
Her Thousand Miles of Coast Line
Offer Inducements.
THE UNIQUE NATIVE FISH PONDS
What Might Be Done to DeveIope
the Industry.
VAR ETIES OF F I s FL
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

Special Correspondence or Inc Evening S'af.
HONOLULU. October .. 1895.
President Dole returned ten days ago
from a months outing, taken for recupera-
ton. 1t is the second vacation OF the sort
which he has taken since the spring legis-
lative session. While attending to the mat
ter of homesteads in which he feels partic-
ular interest. the president spent much
time in hunting, and like his friend. Mr..
Cleveland. in fishing. In the mountains
are numerous wild goats. as we'll as many
pigs. both of which afford fair sport. In
some districts are wild cattle, which are
we'll worth shooting. Mr.. Dole's fishing
was done near the coast of South kohala,
next to the line of North Kona. 1t was
chiefly angling for the deep-sea fish. which
are found by pushing out some miles in the
native canoes. The whole center of the
hundred miles of western or leeward coast
of the island has always been famous for
it's deep-sea fishing. This helped to make
it the favorite residence of the great chiefs
of the olden time. That whole district, al
though arid and barren along the coast,
was very populous when Cook discovered
il. HawaiianS loved the warm, calm west
shore, with its soft breeze, far bet
ter than the moister windward coasts, with
their guSty and often chilly trade winds.
Abundant plantations of taro, sweet pota-
toes, bread fruit sugar cane and bananas
from l.V00 to 800 feet above the sea,
where the daily sea breeze preciptated its
moisture against the lofty mountain side.
The ocean there abounds in fish, many Of
them of large size, giving good sport to the
angler. The skilled fishermen pushed out
to sea daily. often far out of sight from the
shore The high mountain Hualalai CWhoi-
ler-lye). which dominates kona. derived
another name Kilo-waa IA as in father)
or ''canoe-deScrier," from the habit of
espying from its heights the distant fishing
craft under sail. Common sea fish taken
with the hook are the dolphin or mahi-
swift clipper form, to chase the flying fish,
which rise into the air In Swarms before
their enemy. with silver pnions flashing in
the sun There is also the ulua allied to
the dolphin, but thicker and shorter, a fish
that gives stout play on the hook. Very
common are the ulbicore or a-ku and the
skip-Jack, which often swarm around ships
far at sea Great numbers of these are
often captured hooked with bit of rag
for bait. as fast they can he handled.
Natives prize their dark flesh. and dried
salt a-ku are constantly sold in the mar
kets. But 1 am but ill-learned in the great
and snowy variety of Hawaiian fishes. For
many kinds the natives use seines, captur-
ing large hauls along the shores.
Only two species cultivated in the
ponds. These are the anoe or mullet and
the ava. larger fish, often weighing ten
or fifteen pounds. The mullet Is not half
as heavy. Those found in the market are
chiefly the younger mullet, or anna a-ama
ranging from half pound to two pounds
But a fat five-pound anae is the best and
superb eating. The mullet. grown in ponds
where an influx of fresh water breeds rich
mosses in the mud, 1 think. are not sur
passed in sweetness and delicacy by any.
American fish-not even by the large
speckled trout of the Adirondack lakes
These same mullet abound in the open sea
fisheries Though not easily distinguished
In looks. they are far inferior in flavor liv-
ing on the coarser sea moses
The TOOfhsome AVA.
Equally sweet with the anae, when grown
in suitable ponds. is the ava but obiec-
tionable on account of it's mum berless sharp
and slender bones. permeating every flake
of its meat. Canned mullet from New Zeal
and compete in our market with Astoria's
canned salmon. though scarcely equal to
royal cninook'-but to either We prefer
the fresh mullet, which We can always get
in Honolulu. The coast of this island
abounds in fish ponds. owing to a great ex-
tent of shoal water, produced by firing
ing reefs that have grown up during a
long period of slow submergence of the
island Foreigners seldom buy any other
fish than mullet, although several other
species are excellent eating. The natives
are extremely partial to many kinds of fish
and marine animals which we are apt to
think coarse or rank. I remember once
with wonder. seeing an old missionary suck
down the contents of a live egg. He
to relish it. 1 don't think he would have
bitten into live squid. as Stewart de-
scribes a Hawaiian queen doing at
feast, while the agonized tentaclas clurg
around her head. The natives prefer their
fish. of ali kinds. raw.
Fish culture in ponds involves much
skill anu experience. In localities where
there is a good breadth of shoal water
many Enclosures are seen, ranging m ex-
tent from an acre to several hundred acres
These are walled In with coral blocks or
black. lava boulders. The walls are about
eight feet thick, and reach about two feet
above high water mark. Great labor must
have been expended centuries ago in carry
ing these stones to their places Some
wallis are over a mile in length, laid partly
in water several feet deep At intervals
of 200 or 200 feet are left openings about
eight feet wide. which are closed by graf
ings of poles closely SET, so as to allow no
fish to pass which are over half an inch in
thickness. :Thase gratings allow the tides
to flow IN and out of the ponds The spring
tides ebb. and. flow about four feet When
the tide is flowing in. the fish crowd to the
inlet or makaha, following their instinct
to push up stream. / have seen them so
crowded in the inlets as to be piled uSon
each other. many clear out Of water. If