Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 3, 1 March 1991 — Naturally Hawaiian [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Naturally Hawaiian

By Patrick Ching artist/environmentalist

A crustacean with taste

Lobster, a favorite delicacy of seafood-lov-ing people throughout the world, is also a desirable entree of many marine animals. Monk seals, sharks and other large fish such as ulua all weleome a side order of lobster when they ean

get it. The most eommon type of lobster in Hawai'i is the spiny lobster or ula. There are two varieties of ula; one with a bluish-colored shell and striped legs and the other with a maroon-tinted shell and solid maroon legs. The latter exists only in Hawaiian waters. Another popular Hawaiian lobster is the slipper lobster or ula papapa. Their flattened bodies and mottled coloration enable them to blend in well with their surroundings. Neither spiny lobsters or slipper lobsters have large pincers, however the spines on their bodies may inflict a painful puncture. There are a eouple of species of Hawaiian lobsters with large pincers. These are relatives of Maine lobsters and like the spiny and slipper lobsters live in caves and crevices in the reef.

Lobsters are invertebrates whieh means they have no backbone. They are also crustaceans possessing a shell or "exoskeleton" whieh is shed periodically. Other types of crustaceans include barnacles, shrimps and crabs. When a lobster molts or sheds its old shell a new soft shell is already formed beneath it. While the shell is still soft the lobster grows rapidly. During this time it is very vulnerable to predators. When its shell hardens the lobster stops growing until the next time it molts its shell. Scavengers of the sea, lobsters will eat just

about anything they eome across. Decaying plant and animal material make up most of their diet. One way of capturing lobsters is to plaee some bait in a trap with a funnel leading into it. The Hawaiians made traps out of woven 'ie'ie (crawling screw pine) and in more modern times wire and plastic traps have been used.

Note: Traps that are lost at sea or neglected ean capture and kill fish for years unless fashioned with a cotton mesh escape hatch that decavs rapidly. Other ways of capturing lobsters are by diving for them and grabbing them by hand (use a glove) or by catching them as they crawl over the shallow

reefs at night when lobsters are most active. The summer months of June, July and August are closed season for lobster fishing. It is during these months that most of the spawning occurs. It is aiso illegal to spear lobsters at any time. These modern day kapu were instated to ensure the survival of this important food resource that has been

severely depleted in recent years. In old Hawai'i lobster was sometimes used as sacrifice in the plaee of pigs when they were unavailable. When used for food the shellfish were usually broiled or eaten raw sometimes mixed with the innards of wana (sea urchin).