This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 7:08 pm and is filed under About, Adventure Cruises, History, Information, Sites, Snorkeling, Snuba. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Photo Courtesy, Elhaw/Map, Fishbase.org
To the ancient Hawaiians, the ladyfish was a very important food source. Research didn’t uncover much information on this now scarce species. As a juvenile it was called `o’io, and as an adult, kuahauli. In ancient times this fish was probably raised in fishponds, or loko i’a. The family consists of a single genus. It is said to put up quite a good fight, will often leap out of the water when hooked, and will strike at lures and baited hooks. Not often eaten by locals in Hawaii because of their numerous small bones in the flesh, the name of ‘tenpounder’ is more commonly used today. The Hawaiian Ladyfish is considered to be the most primitive of living teleost (fish with bony skeleton) fish. They have very small scales and a forked tail. They also tolerate a very wide range of salinity. Unfortunately, they are also uncommonly caught, possibly due to overfishing.
The ladyfish is a coastal animal that prefers lagoons, bays, estuaries, and even ancient fishponds. They are known to concentrate in mangroves and have been known to travel a short distance up streams searching out various small fishes and crustaceans. Very little knowledge exists of this mysterious fish’s biology.
The snorkeler in Hawaii may see the young ladyfish in the reefs around the islands. If you are coming to Maui, plan on a ‘get wet’ day. There are many mysterious creatures waiting.
