This entry was posted on Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 at 5:02 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 fishpix.kahuku.go.jp/Dr. Jack Randall, fishbase.org
Dr. Randall’s site says these cute blunthead pufferfish are endangered. They are also listed on IUCN list. Why? According to the research this could be due to commercial fisheries. In the Hawaiian Islands pufferfish are rarely, if ever, seen in the market but are commonly seen dead or dying on the beaches where fishermen have been. I have spoken with fishermen who consider this fish family ‘junk fish’ and when these fish take the bait the fishermen toss them on the beach. This is very upsetting, to say the least, but if we just calmly use education maybe this atrocity can be turned around.
Ancient Hawaiians were fully aware that eating this fish species could be fatal. They called them ‘o’opu hue, which means gourd. Some considered this fish to be ‘aumâkua, or family god.
Snorkeling in Hawaii holds many surprises. Although one may not be able to find this particular species of puffer there are several other types that are commonly seen. I love the pufferfish. They can be very curious and often will tolerate human curiosity very well. Bring your camera!
