Kauai History and Fishing Methods

Hawaiians used many fishing methods – hook and line, lure, spear, trap, and nets. Hooks were shaped from a single piece of bone, shell, whale ivory, or wood. The most reliable line was made from olona, one of the world’s strongest plant fibers. Stone, coral, or shell tools were used to shape the hooks and the barbs. Stone sinkers were also formed to carry lines to the bottom of their deep fishing grounds.

Hawaiians made lures, the most striking of which were made from cowrie shell for catching squid and octopus. One or two cowrie shells and a stone sinker were lashed to a wooden shaft that also supported a bone hook. Some of the more successful lures were passed down through generations and named for ancestors or relatives.

Hawaiians used spears to fish in shallow water and along rocky ledges. In deeper water it was more difficult to get visual bearings, so oil from roasted kukui nuts, chewed and spat on the surface, increased visibility dramatically. Night spear fishing inside the reef was done by the light of kukui-nut torches as the bright light attracted fish in shallow waters.

Fishermen also used traps woven like baskets to catch smaller fish and shrimp. Traps were made of wood and roots with a funnel opening leading into the trap and a stone weight and bottom opening allowing the catch to be extracted.

Hawaiians favored net fishing most of all, because it allowed fishermen to catch many fish at once and the nets could be used from shore or from a canoe. Sometimes a community would fish together (hukilau), where everyone worked as one to pull in a large net spread in shallow water near shore. The catch was then divided equally among the group.

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