Category Archives: Fish

Abstracts: Tiny fish

Abstracts-Tiny Fish

A photo of some colored lava rocks. But wait. Why are there tiny fish among those rocks? No, they’re not skittering about on minuscule legs, a living proof of evolutionary theory. Instead, they’re swimming in very shallow, very clear water near the edge of a freshwater-fed pool, just inland from Akahu Kaimu Bay, south of Waikoloa Resort.

On my last hike along that stretch of coast, I stopped here for a refreshing dip. The entry to the pool was over these somewhat rough lava rocks. While I was feeling my way across them, these little fish seemed greatly interested in my feet, which suggests life in the pool must be very dull indeed.

Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge ‘Liquid.’

Cauliflower coral not spawning

Cauliflower coral and arc-eye hawkfish

Cauliflower coral

Cauliflower coral was once a mainstay of reefs along the west coast of the Big Island, but has been in decline for a while. Then, in late 2015, high water temperatures caused a huge coral bleaching event, which resulted in a die-off of more than 90% of the area’s cauliflower coral. In some places, nothing was left. Because of this, the reproduction of surviving corals has become of increased importance.

Different corals have different methods of reproduction. Cauliflower coral reproduces in a synchronized spawning event. During this event, the corals release gametes (eggs and sperm) into the water, creating a milky cloud. For many corals, the spawning event takes place at night, but research indicates that cauliflower corals spawn shortly after sunrise, two or three days after the May full moon. At least, that’s what I was told.

Consequently, twice last week, I got up at an early hour in order to be in the water before 7 a.m. in the hope of witnessing a cauliflower coral spawning. Yes, that’s the kind of life-on-the-edge that I lead.

The first priority was to find some live cauliflower coral, easier said than done. There were a few patches in deeper water, but since visibility was not great, it would be almost impossible to tell if and when they spawned. After some finning around, I found a shallow spot with three small clumps and decided to pin my hopes on them. The live coral was part of a larger mass, part of which had died, as can be seen in the photos. Also to be seen in the photos are an arc-eye hawkfish (above), and two four-spot butterflyfish (second photo) among others. Corals are very important to fish stocks because many small fish, and the young of bigger fish, use the coral for protection, a place to hide when threatened.

What’s not to be seen in the photos is any evidence of spawning, because I didn’t see any. It was unlikely that I would. Conditions might not have been right for the coral or my timing could have been off. The May full moon is actually on the 29th so it might be that the spawning will be at the end of the month, not the beginning. I’ll try again then.

Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge ‘Unlikely.’

Better Days: Dead blenny

Better Days-Dead Blenny

Exploring tide pools one day, I found this unfortunate floating blenny. It was quite large, for a blenny, and in a small pool. The weather had been calm for a few days, without much ocean swell. I think the fish was trapped in the pool and, without fresh seawater reaching it, the pool had become stale and oxygen starved.

The macabre essence of the scene contrasted with its painterly quality, enhanced by the blenny’s coloration and the delicate creamy shells in the pool.

Updated 6-20-18

I’ve since learned that the ‘delicate creamy shells’ in the pool are actually a type of seaweed, Padina japonica. I’m also not sure about my oxygen starvation theory either since blennies are notoriously adept as jumping from pool to pool. Two things are unchanged however: the blenny is still dead and I still like the painterly quality.

Yellow tang shoal

Yellow tang feeding

Yellow tang shoal feedingYellow tang are one of the most noticeable fish on the reef, in part because of their bright color, and in part because of their prolific numbers. These fish are also very popular in the aquarium trade, but because they can’t be bred in captivity, all aquarium yellow tang are collected from the wild.

Aquarium fish collection is regulated by Hawaii’s Department of Land and Resources, but conservationists have taken the department to court claiming it doesn’t follow Hawaii’s environmental laws. The DNLR restricts areas where fish can be collected and issues permits allowing the capture of 2,000 fish per permit. However there’s no restriction on how many permits can be issued, or where the permit will be used or what fish are intended to be taken.

Last week, a court voided all the permits and basically told DNLR to start over with its rules for fish collection. Expect this case to run and run.

Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge ‘Prolific.’

Yellow tang shoal

Heller’s barracuda

Heller's Barracuda

I saw this group of fish one day when water conditions weren’t very good, so I was happy to get a photo as decent as this. What caught my attention were the blue stripes, pointed front with underslung jaw, and forked tail.

It was a bit tricky to identify as most photos I found, including my fish book, John P. Hoover’s The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals, show only shoals of Heller’s barracudas.

Heller’s barracudas are related to great barracudas but aren’t dangerous. They hunt by night and move inshore to rest in groups like this one by day.

Cornetfish close-up

Bluespotted Cornetfish

Bluespotted cornetfish are long and slender, though they appear wide if seen from above. They can often be seen hovering in quite shallow water. While they’re quite capable of shooting off if they feel threatened, they’re equally likely to remain where they are and watch as swimmers or snorkelers pass close by, even directly above them.

This one was in very shallow water as I passed over it and it didn’t budge. It had a wound on the right side of its snout, near the tip. I’ve noticed other cornetfish with damaged snouts including one where the whole thing veered off at 45 degrees. I saw it on more than one occasion and it didn’t seen to be bothering the fish. I assume the damage was the result of an encounter with some would-be predator, but part of me likes to wonder if such wounds are sometimes simply the result of banging into things with that long, long snout.