9 The humuhumunukunukuapua’a and other fish

      THERE IS A POPULAR SONG DATING BACK TO THE HAPPY pre-World War II days of Hawaii which uses a Hawaiian word that few visitors can pronounce or remember. The song goes: “I want to go back to my little grass shack in Ke-ala-ke-kua Hawaii where the humuhumunukunukuapua’a go swimming by...”

      Simply speaking, humuhumunukunukuapua’a is a small fish made famous by its name, which literally means the fish of a family of fishes called “humuhumu” which has a snout like a pig. The humuhumunukunukuapua’a is no more than a very humble member of Hawaii’s numerous species of inshore fish.

      The fish fauna of the Hawaiian Islands derived largely from the tropical Philippine and Indonesian waters. They were carried on warm currents to the coasts of Hawaii over millions of years. New species of fish continue to arrive, some coming along as followers of slow-moving barges whose bottoms are trailing seaweed, as stray travellers on currents or by human introduction.

      The fish population of Hawaii, so vital to the sustenance of the ancient Hawaiians, has suffered much from modern urbanization, particularly around Oahu. Artificial reefs of old automobiles are restoring fish life by providing shelter from predators, but the fight against over-fishing and pollution must go on if the fish are to return to their former abundance.