Ulua Fishing Tournaments ( GT's )

[Tony Buzolich]

In Hawaii GT's are called Ulua, and Bluefin trevally are called Omilu. Several times a year S. Tokunaga stores in Hilo sponsors a tournament for the biggest Ulua taken and weighed in at their store with a huge celebration and party. NO, this isn't fly fishing but I'll come to that.

Fishing with bait off the cliffs and lava flows has been a long tradition for the locals throughout the Hawaiian Islands and nothing has ever been said negatively about the practice of keeping and kill here. Apparently GT's here are safe to eat and nothing is thought of concerning ciguatera.

Throughout the rest of the world GT's are pursued as a trophy fish by fly fishermen and spin fishers alike, but are NEVER kept and killed. Around Hawaii it seems just the opposite and all are killed and eaten.

I hope Don Memmer chimes in here and sheds some more light on the subject.

A couple of questions I have are (1) are the Ulua so prolific here that they can be taken and eaten as a standard way of life? (2) Isn't ciguatera a problem with these big fish ? And (3) why aren't there more guys fly fishing for these Hawaiian GT's ?
Tony

[mems]

Hey Tony, Mike Tokunaga is a friend of mine. He runs his tournament and this year they had 170 teams. They do kill them for competition in the tournament and do eat them. They do carry cig here and that is a risk. I wish he had a fly fishing or at least a catch and release portion to the torunament. I have a friend who entered this year. I haven't heard how he did, but they haven't caught an ulua in years. They did get some omilu last year. I have caught ulua on the fly here, but it is a rare occurance. We do catch a lot of smaller ulua, papio and I let most of them go, but I am the exception.
Places like Christmas Island, and Aitutaki and the Seychelles have made a business out of GT fishing. Hawaii is not at that point. The Ulua fishermen spend many a night waiting for the bell to ring. I have done it with friends, but it is actually more fun catching bait for the slide gaff. Then we just sat around and drank beer and played cards. My friends have caught them and some do use circle hooks and let them go, but again that is up to each fisherman.
The reason they are so rare and prized is the fact that they are killed, if it was a catch and release fishery things would be different. Same for bonefish in Hawaii. Maybe things will change, but I doubt it. Don.

[DLJeff]

Don -
Is netting of bonefish still allowed in Hawai'i? I have seen photos of native Hawaiians netting o'io on Molokai and read various pro and con articles about it - the old "it's been tradition forever" vs sustainable fishery arguments.

[mems]

DLNR has restrictions on netting, but it still goes on. People love to eat bonefish, it is a shame.