This entry was posted on Saturday, November 29th, 2008 at 9:53 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.
Map Courtesy Fishbase.org/Photo Courtesy Diver.net
In ancient Hawaii, these fish were called ono, not to be confused with the word ‘ono, a word meaning delicious, tasty, savory, to relish or crave, etc. These words are NOT the same, but are used so in Hawaii. Just another confusion, which is understandable knowing all the many cultures that now make up the Hawaiian Islands population. These fish were very important as a food source and were eaten raw, salted and dried, cooked over an open fire, or wrapped in leaves and steamed. The above map shows their global territory.
Known as a hard fighting gamefish, they became named ‘wahoo’ in Mexico waters because they were considered to be the most fun to bring in. They grow to an amazing 250 cm (8.2 feet) and can weigh up to 83 kilograms (183 pounds) – published weight, although I have talked with local fishermen who swear to larger and heavier fish. This fish of the mackerel/tuna/bonito family has an iridescent bluish-green back and silvery sides with 24 to 30 dark blue vertical bars. The flesh of this fish is of very good quality ~ or used to be. Sadly, there have been reports of ciguatera poisoning, which now makes this fish dangerous to consume.
Ono are swift predators who prefer to live solitary or in small schools and are known to be oceanodromous. Their prey of choice are other fish and squid. We are all aware of how speedy and maneuverable squid are, placing the speedy ono on the ‘wow’ list.
Snorkeling and diving in Hawaiian waters is always a fabulous choice for residents or visitors alike. Make sure to put marine life discovery trips on your list of plans!
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:13 am
[...] Vote Oh, No, Not ONO! [...]