The last rays of light lingered after sunset at Hukilau Beach as community and members of the Hale La'a and Laie Park Wards gathered for a night hukilau on Friday, August 17.
“Lights off, noise down, everything quiet, and everything has to be natural the way it is,” explained Lau Tia, second counselor of Hale La’a Ward.
Solomone Foukimoana, from Laie, pitched the idea in the Hale La’a Ward Council to have the combined hukilau. Tia shared the reason why the wards held the hukilau at night, saying “There are different times you can do it, so as far as the pai pai, you can do it early in the morning, you can do it late, really at any time of day.
“To me, it’s just really about being lucky. To be at the right place and the right time, and usually night time is pretty successful with this type of fishing.”
As it grew darker, the members gathered for precautionary direction from Lt. Joe Tataipu of the Oahu Branch of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, DLNR.
Lt. Tataipu explained that the type of net varies with the fish caught. He said the fishers cannot choose any net; rather the nets must be specific to the safety of the shores. In a hukilau, Lt. Tataipu also clarified that fishers must be aware of the quantity of fish being caught in the ocean and take the necessary steps to ensure no significant harmful effects.
Tataipu described the importance of being familiar with the type of fish in the ocean at the time of a hukilau. He said there are many creatures in the ocean, and it’s the responsibility of the fishers to be careful of the particular fish near shore.
Semisi Fakatava, first counselor in Hale La’a Ward, helped to bring the net in. The Fakatava family usually host the hukilaus in Laie.
Students and community were advised by Lt. Tataipu to be careful when following posts on social media and to be mindful of wrong information shared about the land and waters of the island. He said the fines are heavy for harmful acts against natural resources.
Around 9:00 p.m. the stars from the night sky were the only sources of light as the participants gathered at the shore.
Wai Yan Ng, BYUH alumnus from Hong Kong explained, “We did not turn on light as to scare the fish, so we did it in the dark. We have to keep quiet when we set it up so we don’t scare the fish away. So when they swim around they get trapped by the net. To send signals to others we whistle so we can have more harmony.”
Tia explained the fish travel and congregate at night. “It all depends on certain conditions, sometimes the fish are sleeping. At night the fish cannot see the fishers so participants try to cover good area.”
Tia explained the way to catch the fish, “You stay quiet first when you’re laying the net, so you don’t spook the fish. A moon shape is made towards the shore in hopes of getting good coverage. Hopefully… you cover good area with the net and block off the fish.
“Once you’re ready everyone gets loud and crazy and slaps the water! This spooks the fish and they go out to the ocean, but that’s where the net is laid, so the fish go into the net and once they are all caught we go back and pick up the net hoping we caught some.”
Ng spoke enthusiastically of the night, “I caught two fish! It was nice to get out together. I’m so glad the bishopric had such a good idea to get the ward members out and mingle. It was a good turn out and really fun overall.
“You can learn the local way to fish. I’ve done spear fishing a couple times but it was the first time we learned this fishing in a local group. It was a totally different way that I never did before.”
“We got around ten fish, so we got lucky. The night hukilau was mostly for the experience,” explained Tia. “It’s a fun experience, good culture, good practice and more fun when you do it with people you know.”
The Hale La’a and Laie Park Wards anticipate another hukilau in the future as it was overall a positive outcome. Many participants concluded the feeling of ohana was felt in their ward families.
Writer: Geena DeMaio