The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-08
CATCHING THE
GIANT OCTOPUS
Many-Armed Fish Kills Many
WouId-be CapturerS.
IN HAWAIIAN WATERS
Five Ways of Fishing---SDear-
ing Under Water.

The Hawaiians have five methods of
fishing; by spearing, hand-catchins, bas-
kets. hook and line, and with nets.
The Ia o is the spearing of fish and is
Of two kinds, below and above water.
That below water is the most important
and is generally employed for the diff
ferent kinds of rock fish. The spear used
by the diver is a slender stick of from
six to seven feet in length made of very
hard wood and sharply pointed at one
end. but more tapering at the other.
Since the possession Of iron, spears are
always tipped with it, but perfectly
smooth, without hook or barb. Diving
to well-known station by a large coral
rock or against the steep face of the
reefs, the diver places himself in a half
cro0ching position on his left foot, with
Ills right foot free and extended behind.
his left hand holding on TO the rock to
steady himself, watches and waits for the
fish. Fish in only two positions are no.
ticed by him. those passing before and
parallel to him, and those coming straight
toward his face. He always aims lit
tie IN advance, for by the time the fish
is struck, its motion has carried it so
giIls or middle of the body and thus Sc
cured, but if the spear were aimed at the
body it would be very apt to hit the tail
or pass behind. When the fish is hit, the
force of the blow generally carries the
srear right through to the hand, thus
bringing the fish up to the lower part or
handle of the spear, where it remains
whilst the fisherman strikes rapidly at
other fish in succession should they come
in a huakai Graim as they usually do.
Except in the case of Oopuhue spear
ing above water spearing is very rarely
used, and then generally in connection
with deep sea line and hook fishing.
Oopuhue is the well-knowNn poison fish
of the Pacific, but of delicious flavor 1t
Is generally speared In inclosed saltwater
ponds from the stone embellishments. The
poison of this fish is contained in three
little sacks which must be extracted
whole and uninjured. The fish is first
skinned. the rough skin is also poison
Gus in a slight degree. Should the teeth
OF the fish be yellow, then ii is so highly
charged with poison that no part of its
flesh is safe even with the most careful
preparation. Oopuhue caught in the open
gea are always more poisonous than those
from ponds.
Some fishermen dive to well known
habitats OF certain fish and Holsters and
thrusting their arms up to their arm
pits under rocks or in holes, bring out
the fish one by one and put them into
a bag attached for that purpose to the |
n,alo or loin cloth. Women frequently |
do the same in shallow waters and catch |
nsh by hand from under coral projec- |
lions. IL is also a favorite method en- |
ployed Dy women in the capture of the |
larger varieties or shrimps and oopus in |
the fresh water streams and kalo ponds. |
Gold fish are also caught in that way
end at the present time form no incon-
siderable portion of the daily food of the
poorer classes living near kalo patches |
or fresh water ponds. Their power of |
reproduction is very great. The different
kinds of edible sea slugs are caught in
tine same way although the larger kinds
are sometimes dived for and speared I'M
der water
There are two ways of octopus fishing
In shallow water the spear is used. Wo-
men generally attend to this. Their prac-
ticed eye can tell if an octopus is in a
hole whose entrance is no larger than
silver dollar. and plunging their spear
In they invariably draw one out. These
mollusks have the peculiar property of
drawing themselves out and COMPRISING
their bodies so as to pass through very
narrow apertures many times smaller |
than the natural size or thickness of
their bodies Those caught IN the shall
low waters vary from one to four feet
in length, but the larger kinds live in
deep water always, and are known as
heeokaiuli (blue water Cctopus) They
ere caught with cowries of the Maur-
ftiana, and sometimes of the Tiger spe-
Giles. One or more of these shells is at
tached to a string with an oblong pebble
on the face of the shells. through which
the line is passed. and having been fas-
tened, is allowed to project few inches
below. and a hook, whose point stands
always perpendicular to the shaft or
shank is then fastened TO the end of the
Hire. Only the fines. kind of Mauritania
or Tiger cowries are employed for this
purpose. as the octopus Will not rise to a
large spotted or ugly one. The spots on
the black must be very small and red,
breaking through a reddish brown ground
and such shell would have the strong
est attraction for an octopus and is
called ipo Qoverl. COwries with suita-
BE spots. but Objectionable otherwise are
slightly steamed over a fire of sugar cane
husks. This has the effect of giving them
the desired hue.
The fishermen having arrived at his
fishing grounds first chews and splits on
the waetr a mouthful of candle nut meat.
which renders the water CLASSY and clear:
he then drops the shell with hook and
nne into the water and swings il over a
place likely TO be inhabited by an octo-
pus. This being a voracious animal is
always. according to Hawaiian fishermen.
when IN its hole keeping lookout for
anything eatable that may come within
reach OF its eight arms. The moment a
a cowry IS perceived an arm is shot out.
and the shell clasped. II OF the attractive
kind. one arm after the other comes out.
ard finally the whole body is withdrawn
from the hole and attaches itself 10 the
cowry or cowries. which 1t closely hugs.
curling itself all around it, and seeming
oslivicus OF anything but the pleasure Of
hugging its lover. II remains very
quiet while being rapidly drawn up
through the water. till Just as its head
ts exposed above the water. It raises it,
when the fisherman pulls the string SO ms
q bring its head against the edge Of the
renoe. and It IS killed hy n blow from a
e'lb. which IS struck between the ewes