Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1903-03-13
FISHING METHODS In HAWAII.
SKILL ATTAINED RY NATIVES or
THE ISLANDS.
Ingenious Apparatus used-curlous
Nets and Misunderstanding Shrimp
a In Mountain Streams-Roundlng Up
10 Fish-Mountain Shrimp.

Nets and Tackie-CatcHin9 onfiinp
s In Mountain misunderstanding Up
Fish-Mountain Shrimp.
Owing to the fact that he has al
ways been largely dependent upon the
sea for goodly portion OF his daily
food the Hawaiian fisherman has de-
yeloped into a remarkably ingenious
and successful one, writes a cores
pondent Of the New York Tribune.
Many of his methods are curious, and
some of them are unique, and in the
case of certain forms of apparatus
could be adopted by the fishermen In
the states with considerable resulting
profit.
LA Kapalili'' (trembling leaves) is
la method of bag net fishing which
was at one time popular in the islands
TT was called ''the fishing of kings"
as they only could command a sufii-
cient number of canoes, men and Tau"
or rope The late Kamehameha ".
whose favorite residence was at Wal
kiki, on Oahu, frequently ordered it.
A large bag net, called a papa and
ropes 400 fathoms in length, with the
broad, long leaves of the Xxi" plant at.
tGched, would be loaded on large
double canoe and taken out several
miles from shore, attended by a fleet
of from sixty to one hundred single
canoes. On reaching the proper dis
lance, which must be opposite the
final drawing place. the end of one
rope is joined to that of the other, and
two canoes. manned by eight or ten
strong natives, take hold of different
ends of the rope and start in opposite
directions and parallel to the shore.
The rest of the canoes divide into
stationing themselves at certain dis
tances along the rope. helping to pull
it.. In the meantime the double canoe
with net remains stationary in the
center.
Is soon as the rope is all paid out
the two leading canoes curve in to
form a semi-circle, az the same time
working toward the shore. AS soon
as the semi-circle has been completed
and the shore reached the men leap
out. and, taking hold of the line, pull
on it, at the same time going toward
each other which has the effect OF
narrowing the semi-circle, while most
of the canoes keep backing toward
the double canoe, which Keeps in the
center. AS soon as they have reached
| foh io oil NC a,
clean, sandy one, a few rods from
shore, the ropes are united and at
tached to each side of the papa" net.
The men. women and children now
gather closely on the rope, especially
near to the net, and make great dis
| turbance with tehir feet, which drives
all the fish into the net. "Lau" and
net are finally drawn ashore and the
net is emptied. This fishing can only
be carried on on clear. bright, sunny
day, so that the shadows cast by the
leaves can be seen and serve to fright
en- the fish inland.
In fishing for maioto," the flying
fish, twenty to forty canoes are fire.
quently employed. When school has
been sighted the bag net is dropped in
favorable position, while the main
body of the canoes are surrounding
the school. When this has been &C
| complished the canoes are all padded
in quickly toward the mouth of the
net, the occupants splashing the water,
thus driving the fish befoIe them. The
"malolo" are always found swimming
near the surface, and as they will not
dive to any depth they can be driven
in any direction desired.
In fishing for "malolo," the flying
tain streams, small basket. shaped
like the coal scuttle bonnets in vogue
some years ago, and woven from the
roots of certain plant, is used. This
fishing is done by women. The ma
| tive woman, outside of the towns, is
never heavily burdened with clothing,
even when dressed in her best. the
"holoku," flowing mother hubbard,
being the principal garment. When
shrimping she either wears an old
"holol1u," gathered up to the waist. or
else strips to natures garment. Hold
ing the basket in one hand and a short
stick in the other, and moving in a
crouching position through the water,
she drives the shrimp from under the
rocks. ETC.. to a suitable spot, which
is always some place where the grass,
ferns or branches of trees droop over
in the water. The shrimp take refuge
in or under these, and the fisherwo-
man, placing her basket under the
leaves, lifts them out of the water,
when the shrimp drop off into the
basket, whence they are removed to a
gourd with a small mouth, which the
woman has been dragging behind her
in the water by a string tied to her
waist.
The largest kind of basket used in
the regular ocean fishing is called the
lie kala." This is made round. rather
fat, from four to five feet in diameter
by two and one-half to three in depth,
and about one and one-half feet across
the mouth. A small cylinder or cone
of wicker is attached by the large end
to the mouth and turned inward to-
ward the bottom of the basket This
cone or cylinder is small at the free
end, just large enough for the fish to
get in. Immediately below the end of
this cone. on the bottom, of the bas-
ket, Is placed the bait, properly Sc
cured, which is generally ripe bread
fruit, cooked pumpkins. half-roasted
sweet potatoes or 'papaias." The fish
ermen generally feed the fish at a
a.ven place for week or more before
taking any. using for this purpose a
large basket of the same kind, with
out the inverted cylinder, and wider
in the mouth, to allow the fish free
ingress and egress. After a week or
two Of feeding they become very fat
and fine favored, and also tame, and
baskets full of fish can be drawn up In
the taking basket without in the least
disturbing fhoco which oro c4f1l exroo<7