Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 11, 1 November 2017 — Hānai Ko'a: Feed and be fed [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hānai Ko'a: Feed and be fed

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By Treena Shapiro Describing Hawaiian fishing practices nearly a century ago to Thomas Kelsey, Rev. Henry B. Nalimu noted, "Alas, only a few aged Hawaiians remain who ean yet recall the 'ōpelu-fishing of the old days. Only a little time remains in whieh they ean be with us, in whieh we may save their valuable stores of knowledge of the past." In fishing villages on Hawai'i Island, Hawaiian 'ōpelu fishermen have kept the ancient traditions alive, including a kapu on fishing to to give 'ōpelu fisheries time to rest and replenish. In September, with the kapu lifted and 'ōpelu season underway, members of Kama'āina United to Protect the 'Āina (KUPA) spoke to us about their traditional methods of fishing and maintaining a healthy 'ōpelu populahon. "One of the things we're aiming to do is make sure these resources are sustained for us to eonhnue to gather and fish," said Craig Carvalho. Fishing villages in South Kona "have a strong, long heritage of fishing traditions and Ho'okena was one of the largest. The canoes that are on the beach are owned all by Hawaiian families and all their ancestors were fishermen," described Charles Young. "Of course, they're not the old koa eanoe, they're more plywood with a motor on the back, but many of the people here still fish that way." "That way" includes fishing the ko'a, traditional fishing grounds - all of them, said Alston Kaleohano. "Us guys, we fish the ko'a, no matter when slow, we track every one, every ko'a, no matter if no more fish. We fish, fish, fish, fish right down the line from Hōnaunau all the way to Miloli'i - 50 ko'a." Onee they reach the ko'a, the fishermen get their bearings so they ean begin to attract

'opelu by the school, using bait like cooked taro, pumpkin, avocado and papaya. "First we identify the current, what way it's

going. So when we go out, we feed, we feed, just work our way around, ehum, ehum, and 'ōpelu, sooner or later they're going to eome up," said Douglas Alani. "We need to keep them together, training them how to eat all the ehum and tidying up the pool." 'Ōpelu aren't as plentiful as they onee were - historical accounts describe 'ōpelu fishing canoes streaking the South Kona waters. "Today, it's not as mueh as there was back then and it'll get worse if we don't try to manage it," said Solomon Alani. It's not just the loss of fish he's worried about - it's also the loss of a prized fishing tradition that few young Hawaiians have been interested in upholding. "If all we're trying to do is just preserve what we had for our kids and our grandkids, they ean catch the 'ōpelu like we did back in the day," he added. KUPA and Friends of Ho'okena would like to train more young Hawaiians to maintain the traditional fishing practices. "Almost everybody in the whole family needs to go through the process, learn how to read the oeean landmarks. You start from there," said Doug Alani. It could take years to master the ancient techniques - and only then ean you pull the net. "When you get to pull the net, then you're the 'ōpelu fisherman."B

Douglas Alani uses a plywood scope wilh a plexiglass bottom to look for 'ōpelu under the surface of the water. - Pholo: Kaipo Kī'aha

The Pakalana, a bright yellow eanoe made of plywood and other easily available material like pipes and driftwood. The 'ōpelu canoes are designed specifically for fishing, and have ū wider hull with storage space for a cooler under the seats and the net along the gunwale. - Phoio: Kaipo Kī'aha

(Foreground) Douglas Alani pulls up the catch of 'ōpelu while Charles Young (background) looks on from another eanoe. - Pholo: Kaipo Kī'aha

Kama'aina United to Protect the 'Aina-Friends of Ho'okena Beach Park received a two-year $97,741 grant to restore abundance and sustainability to South Kona fisheries. Their project, "Revitalizing Traditional Hawaiian Fishing Practices in Ho'okena, South Kona, Hawai'i," includes reintroducing seasonal closures and training a new generation of 'ōpelu fishermen. See KUPA fishermen in action at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=FjUaa3THv48