This entry was posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 11:51 pm and is filed under About, Adventure Cruises, History, Information, Snorkeling. 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 fishbase.org/Flescher, D
The ancient Hawaiians called the young of this fish aha aha, and the mature needlefish aha. This author couldn’t find much on the importance of the needlefish, but surely it was eaten, and still is.
The flat needlefish is seen in worldwide tropical and temperate oceans including the east and west Atlantic oceans, Bermuda, north Gulf of Mexico, throughout the Indian Ocean, Japan Ocean, east and west Pacific and as far south as Brazil. Wow, they get around, don’t they? Interestingly, their meat is green tinted, so although they are seen in markets and sold frozen, salted, or smoked, the needlefish is not sold in mass quantities. Their maximum recorded size is 140 cm, (55 inches) and weight of 4800 gm, (10.5 lbs.). Needlefish can be seen in small schools or solitary and feed on small fish. Although they are seen in river mouths or estuaries, they seem to prefer island waters. These fish attach their eggs with filaments to other objects like corals, mooring lines, piers, etc.
Snorkeling while in Hawaii is most certainly a joy and small needlefish may swim closer and gently tap on the mask of a curious snorkeler. We know fish like to people watch occasionally, but the needlefish can be especially fun! Don’t forget your camera!!
