What’s This? BY KURT KAWAMOTO
Is that a wahanui… or something new?
Goldflag snapper, photo by Ed Watamura
As it usually happens these days,
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Ed’s picture was easily identifiable as a goldflag snapper, Pristipomoides auricilla, known locally as a yellowtail kalekale or yellowtail paka. Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia. It is sold
are now accepted for sale at the fish auction.
and eaten everywhere it is caught. It is an offi-
Brooks says to bring ‘em down. Thank you to
cial member of the bottomfish management unit
UFA for helping out our local commercial fish-
species (BMUS) that are under federal manage-
ing community.
ment. Although uncommon in Hawaii it is a more
In the past, Hawaii bottomfish fishermen had
common and important commercial species in
only been catching a few yellowtail paka from
other US areas of the Pacific which is why they
time to time. This season there have been multi-
are on the management list. They were the sec-
ple reports of fishermen catching this species. It
ond most common fish caught in an experimen-
seems like for some reason the catch of this spe-
tal deep-handline fishing survey in the Mariana
cies in Hawaii is up this year. Is it more abundant
Islands. In other areas in the Pacific they are
now or are they just biting or have fishermen
caught as shallow as 40 fathoms.
been fishing different areas or different depths?
After a quick email to Brooks Takenaka at UFA
Has anything changed in the recent past? Is it
relaying the fisherman’s question and species
a natural cycle of abundance? Is the baseline
identification, he asked that species references
population of these in Hawaii increasing? Inter-
be sent over. Pictures and reference documents
esting questions to ponder.
on the yellowtail paka as well as the wahanui
To answer the looming question of “What does
(smalltooth jobfish, Aphareus furca) for com-
this taste like?” Ed took the plunge. After find-
parison were emailed to UFA. The documents
ing out that this was indeed edible and more
confirmed what Brooks had already guessed. In
importantly non-poisonous he prepared one of
his years of seeing all kinds of fish brought down
them using his favorite pickled ginger steamed
to the fish auction, he had seen this fish many
fish recipe with all da fixins. He reports that it is
times before. This was a case of species misiden-
excellent eating, soooo onolicious that the fish
tification. The auction personnel were just doing
auction may never get another one from him.
it all started with an email question and a picture. “Is this a yel-
caught one from what looked like a large single species school. It
their job as best they could in rejecting a fish
Ed is now looking forward to some fine dining in
low tail kalekale? UFA wouldn’t accept it, they said it was a wahanui.
was reported that the fish were being caught while bottomfish fish-
that had the potential to affect public health.
the near future when he cooks up the other one.
Is it good to eat? How should I cook it?” The email was from the
ing in 70-140 fathoms (1 fathom = 6 feet) and that the fish were not
Wahanui have been implicated in many ciguatera
He would probably never have eaten this if it
Waialua Boat Club President Ed Watamura. He had gone fishing at
being accepted for sale; same story from all the guys. Everyone was
poisoning cases in Hawaii. The fish auction, as
was accepted for sale the first time. Sometimes
Penguin Banks and had taken some nice bottomfish to the Honolulu
taking it home to eat or give away. Most fishermen knew that it was
always, was erring on the side of public safety.
there is a silver lining in that dark looking cloud.
Fish Auction run by the United Fishing Agency (UFA). Ed had caught
not a wahanui but didn’t know what to do about getting it better
Brooks urges any fisherman who has ques-
If you have a fish you can’t identify please
a couple of these unusual fish while fishing for opakapaka. He had
identified. Some even remembered it being sold at the fish auction
tions on rejected fish or species to please con-
take a good picture of it, keep it refriger-
never caught one before and didn’t know what it was or even if it
in the past.
tact him while they are at the auction or to call
ated or frozen, and contact me, Kurt Kawamoto
was edible. The fish were not huge, being only about 15-18 inches and
Ed’s picture was easily identifiable as a goldflag snapper, Pristipo-
and discuss the issue as the buck stops with him.
(Kurt.Kawamoto@noaa.gov). I’ll try my best to get
weighing in at about three pounds each. For fishermen in these hard
moides auricilla, known locally as a yellowtail kalekale or yellowtail
In this case if any of the many fishermen who
it identified. Since fishermen are on the water a
economic times every fish counts. He was disappointed when they
paka. The bright yellow on the upper lobe of the tail, with the darker
had their yellowtail pakas rejected would have
lot more than anyone else, it is only reasonable to
were not accepted due to them being identified as a wahanui. Ed has
lower lobe of the tail, and no wide yellow bars (like gindai) on the
contacted him immediately this could have been
assume that on a day to day basis they see much
been fishing all his life and knew this was not a wahanui.
body is an identifying characteristic. This species is very uncom-
cleared up on the spot. The fish would have been
more than a typical fisheries scientist. Everyone
Subsequent to Ed’s question, we have heard that some of the
mon in Hawaii but is found in abundance elsewhere in the Pacific.
accepted and any misidentification immediately
can be observant and make a difference. Science
other deepwater bottomfish guys are catching this fish. Many were
It is not a large fish, usually weighing in at 1-3 lbs. The documented
corrected. He emphasized that the fish auction
is full of serendipitous events that lead to new dis-
catching just a few here and there mixed in with paka and some
species range is from Mauritius, Maldive Islands to the Hawaiian
is here to help the fishermen and an open dialog
coveries. Maybe you could discover a new species
other bottomfish species. Another fisherman reported that he had
Islands, Johnston Island, French Polynesia, southern Japan to the
is the best way to accomplish this. These fish
and have it named after you.
LAWAI‘A MAGAZINE
ISSUE TWELVE 2013 TSUTOMU AD FNL.indd 1
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4/29/12 10:14 AM