The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-10-16
MORE FISH
ARE NEEDED.
Legislation Is the Only
Remedy.
REGULATION OF TRAFFIC
inadequate Supply Urges That Inn
mediate Precautions be
Taken.


! Hawaii Herald Will be appreciated by
Ian Interested in the. increase OF the
island fish supply:
| Editor Herald-Dear Sir: / under
stand that IL Is the intention OF the
" ,yernment in Honolulu at no distant
date to undertake the importation of
some of the food fishes OF the United
states with q view TO their permanent
introduction into Hawaiian waters.
That the Hawaiian fisheries Will be
greatly benefited by such course IL
not to be doubted.
Hawaii is fortunate In already pos
sessing a great many species OF hsh
among which are a number which are
toothsome enough to tempt the appetite
| OF the most epicurean. SUCH are the
mullet, the kawela and others, which
are good enough for any land and any
people. But the population of the Is
lands has increased rapidly OF late
| years, and 1t Is likely to increase still
more rapidly in the years to come. The
I price of meat and other food supplies
as every householder knows. has risen
greatly. and each year must witness
| the rapidly increasing Importance OF
the Hawaiian Fisheries.
Important everywhere as an article
of food. fish are doubly important in
tropical and subtropical countries,
where they should constitute large
and important part OF the diet. Un-
fortunately in Hawaii fish, because of
their high price, are luxury for the
rich, rather than the daily diet Of the
poor. and so they must continue to be
unless more efficient methods of deep
sea fishing are introduced, or the num-
Der of inshore species can be multiplied.
Any means. therefore, tending to in
crease the productiveness OF the fish
cries, and to reduce the price of fish,
should be welcomed by every intelll-
gent citizen OF Hawaii.
1t Is to be hoped, therefore. that the
experiment of the importation of food
fishes from abroad may soon be tried
and upon q scale and with such care
as to leave no chances of failure.
No one who knows anything of the
United States Fish Commission, of its
spirit and OF it's methods of work, can
doubt for a moment that 1t will lend It's
hearty cooperation to such scheme.
and do everything in its power to insure
the selection of the most suitable fish
for Hawaiian waters and their proper
shipment to the Islands
| Important as Is the introduction of
new food fishes into Hawaiian waters.
there Is q matter which IL Of even
greater Importance. l allude to the
preservation of the food fish already
here. No one who visits Hilo beach can
fail to be struck by the wasteful meth
DDS OF the local fishermen. In the first
place the nets used are OF small mesh
anu catch large numbers of fish whose
size should tabu them as food. Yet
such of these as are two or three inches
/ long are gathered up and sold for what
they will fetch. The rubbish in the net
! Is then dumped upon the sand and all
the small fry entangled in 1t are left
to rot upon the beach. 1t needs but Il
Z brief examination of this refuse to re-
Z veal hundreds pf ninnDya-tha yOunY
of several species of food hsh-which If
returned to the water would in time
| grow to be big fish. In addition to the
I young foou fish, there are hundreds of
4 small shrimps. crabs and young fishes
of species not much used for food, but
constituting the food of larger and val
liable fish. These little fish and the
minute shrinps and crabs, though not
directly available for the table, are in
their way almost as important econom-
I icallv as the food fish themselves since.
Except for their presence the large fish
would not visit the bays and shallow
waters at all. Such small fry constitute
their natural prey. and to destroy them
is to drive away the large fish.
As matter of fact the Hllo fisheries
are rapidly and systematically being
destroyed by the very fishermen who
should most carefully guard them. Too
ignorant to realize the effect of their
acts, or too Indifferent to care, the fish
ermen are being permitted to rob the
Hilo fishery Of It's future; and from
what | can learn, much the same state
of things exists upon the other Islands.
As the law stands at present. the
young OF but two kinds OF Hawaiian
fish are protected, the mullet and the
ava. Both of these are river and pond
fish, at ieast In spawning time. and the
tabu Of their young has probably come
down from very ancient times. BY the
present law II is unlawful 10 capture
any of these Ash under four inches
long, but It is doubtful II serious ntten-
ton Is paid 10 the prohibition. Surely
such extraordinarily defective fishing
/ laws should not be permitted to stand
\ as they are longer than the next Legis-
lature,
/ The law should prohibit the wanton
and unnecessary destruction OF the
young OF all fish as well as the shrlmps
crabs ana other marine creatures upon
which fish feed. Permission should OF
course be given FOR tho taking Of such
! creatures TO serve for BAN Ia the cap
ture of large fish.
! The size Of the mesh used by fisher
! men should be regulated, as Il Is IN the
I United states and elsewhere, and no
I hbh under "a certain size should be ale
| lowed To b. taken,
For the Legislature 10 merely pass
such statutes, however ana leave thelt
Irnlofc'mrnt 90 the general public or.
even Nv the police Is next 10 useless
I without officers specially designated
T lpr ms duly, the enforcement ~ such
avs ls practically impossible, Ia The
luliru states the preherYation uf the
ifh ana game ~ considered ~ such I'M
pnrlunoe ihat many ~ the states have
famr Nardens whose solo duty IA "a foI
ale MAJ the game ana fishery laws are
unf violated lnil thin system Bas|
lHpuRufaind the raHp laws Wefe prae-
ilNAUy lead lliirr
W IA HENIIIaUV