The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-31
KONOH|k|S
TO BLAME
The Cause of the Fish
Famine.
ALLAN HERbERT'S IDEAS
Well-Kndwn Authority Decries the
Present System Of Leasing
Inland Sea.

the permanent supply and thereby de-
creasing the cost. is serious one
Secretary OF the Territory Cooper is at
present hard at work on the organiza-
ton of a society composed OF Hawaiian
citizens. the aim of which Is TO be the |
protection of the fish of the Islands
and the introduction of new species
all with Government aid.
| No man knows better the deficiencies
In the fish supply and the causes there
of than does Allan Herbert. In the /
early seventies he had an extensive hsn
hatchery at Waipahu, Eva, and such
old residents as Frank Brown and Will
liam Hunt will readily recall the ex-
lperiments of those times.
/ Sitting under the trees upon his ka-
1ihi estate. Allan Herbert unused yes
terday over the great things expected
I'm the seventies of the future of the
Island fish through Government protec-
tion and aid.
II brought spawn of trout from Lake
Tahoe" said he, carp and catfish from !
Petaluma. Altogether / brought about
5000 small fry and sixty yearlings. The
catfish and carp did well. You can find
them now in most of the creeks. or
course the carp are not as fine as In
colder climates. / employed the late
Alfred Bush for years in the propaga-
J ton of the fish, he being also the book
keeper at the Hawaiian Hotel. After
the Reciprocity treaty the water be-
came so valuable that / had to take
away the Waipahu hatcheries, and 1
started "A carp hatchery in upper Ka-
lihi.
ION "A three-acre taro patch / made
. a pond, and with strong promises OF
Government aid began again the indus
. try. Unfortunately, the political life of
, the Kings Ministers was shoSt. When
I got one well broken to the needs of
fish protection he was dismissed and
. | had to start all over again with an
/. other one. III was hard work. with
. small promise of realization. In my
: absence from the Islands for some
: months freshet broke the dam at ka-
lihi. and all my nice little fish went into
. the creek and the sea.
|, Judge Wilcox told me some days ago
) that now and then native brings MIN
a fine carp from the Nalihi stream. I'M
ldOubtedy the son or daughter of my
\ former charges. | always took an en-
thusiastic delight both i'm forestry and
fishing. but indeed I have met with so
Il little announcement In the latter that
= have become quite blue about success.
Il suppose / spent $1,000 in money, be-
sides time but now rs the point. what
, We want to do Is To guard what we
\ have and nature will do the rest. j be-
A. lieve fully that IL is an excellent idea
. TO bring in other species of fish from
' the Mainland and to propagate in
' natcheries. but We must not forget that
3 out for our present possessions. 1t is
a the konohik that we must watch-the
y, landlord-the man who claims the own
y ership of the inland seas. We find Chi
y nese or japanese fishing In the Kalihl
= basin with seines probably 500 feet long
l. and OF a fineness that nothing can es-
cape. We demonstrate with these viii
lains and they say, see the konohiki.
These Chinese and Japanese say that
y they pay the konohiki thirty per CEN
IL I'll oil ..e
= of these fish in the market pay besides
- ten per cent OF all sales. These figures
we have not as facts. but from the fish
ermen. These fishermen say that onl,
they have a right to dip into the basin
and they refuse others the permission
to take any fish from the basin. TAX
away these fishermen for one year
protect by law this basin for twelv
months-and you will have millions o
fish. There will be no scarcity. In 1877
:. when Kamehameha gave FISHING
~ party for Admiral Hillyard of an Eng
lish flagship. they fished in the Kalif
oe1 basin. and there were millions of ifs
- there. Today there are few. Make a
enactment of the Legislature tabun
this basin for one year, and you hav
the remedy. There Is an abundance {
fish food along the shore. The basi
would fairly TEEN with fish il given
years rest from the depredations of III
Chinese and Japanese. who claim pei
4 mission for their robberies from II
81 konohiki."
n The Advertiser reporter accompanie
- Mr.. Herbert To Puhale. where the lepl
receiving camp is. and there saw nj
merOus Chinese and Japanese engagt
In fishing. With big seine the
dragged everything into shore. al
. when plying their labors NEAR whe
. - the sewers discharge. the fineness
~ their net was attested to by the ca
. ~ ture OF lemon peels. banana skin
empty spools and soldiers buttons,
OF which came In with the fish. y
content with "A fine mesh of eigh
fathoms or 80, they needs must furth
insure the escape Of no living thing
even FINER bag into which the fish a
poured when the seine is broug
ashore. IL IL the same all over II
- Island
. The Advertiser reporter asked I
fishermen for himself from whom tn
had the rights to fish, and they SO
the konohiki." II is understood III
three or more prominent estates are {
konohikis. and that they claim tn
rights to let the inland sea to fish,
In men from some old grants of the kin
Il have little fish pond 80 X 100 4,
at kalihi. said Mr.. Herbert. Il;
February let the sea in and had
number Of schools and primary class
of spats. Today these are from tive
To- eighteen inches long, and make ms
nificent eating. OF course treat tn
FISH Well. l feed them with scraps fr
the kitchen, cornmeal and oatmeal, G
Even here I suffer from the thievi
Japanese. They rob my ponds at mig
They come along with a piece of m
quito net and with couple of site
scoop up all the fish. They seem
think the fish are free like niggers W
chickens. II we had law enac
making IL criminal offense to rob
ponds We could possibly stop this.
Ional course. could shoot the thieves.
ming I am not of that disposition. One of
Club worst enemies to the fssn is the
Japanese. many OF whom sleep all {
A. In the almost free habitations provi
at the Kalihi detention camp by
Government. and who roam about
night. stealing whatever they cam
have caught them in my place a
o'clock in the morning. IL Is no chal