The Rainy Season Comes ot Kailua and the Reef Fish Preservation Act of 2014

     We have now endured six consecutive days of rain.  It hasn't rained all day, everyday, but it has rained

Argus Grouper C. argus Kahaluu

 heavily every afternoon and through the night.  As a result, my snorkeling has been less frequent than it might be otherwise.   The frequency of the blogs has fallen off, partly due to the rain and also because we haven't seen anything remarkable to report.

      We have taken a couple reasonable pictures lately, albeit of relatively common fish. The first one I wanted to show you is a head on shot of an Argus (Peacock) Grouper.  I know that you've seen a million of these guys, but isn't it a nice picture?  This was a smaller fish, brilliantly colored.  And he had the moxie to face us head on instead of shooting into the coral.  This species of grouper was introduced from Tahiti in 1956.  It was intended to be a food fish, but as it is frequently ciguatoxic, it is rarely taken by fisherman.  And that is why you see so many!

     The next picture I wanted to show off is an Arc-eyed Hawkfish.  Hawkfish are doing well on our reefs

 and I was lucky to get a food picture of this handsome fish.  Most Arc-eyed Hawkfish sit still, perched on the coral, apparently under the impression that if they don't move, their prey will not notice them.  I have found that I can dive them once and get a shot, but the second time the fish is approached, he realizes that the jig is up and swims to a new perch.  If one has the time and inclination, he can make life a living hell for an Arc-eyed Hawkfish.  

    The next of  pictures is of a Dragon Wrasse.  This guy was among the largest of this fascinating immatures that I have seen.   Isn't is interesting that these wrasses do not all change into the adult pattern at the same time?  Occasionally you will see a large immature (the Dragon Wrasse phase)

and other times you will see relatively small Rockmovers (the adult pattern).  And every now and then, you see one in transition, a small Rockmover with "antennae".  I was especially pleased with the sharp focus in this shot.

    My last photos show two phases of the Threadfin Butterflyfish.   Sandra noticed this darker phase (the one that all respecting threadfins adopt at night)  and called my attention to it.  Why some of these fish retain the dark gray phase during the bright daylight hours is a mystery.  I'm including a picture of a different fish exhibiting the normal day coloration, taken at the same time, for comparison.

    Before I let you go, I want to mention an incident that occurred  in Kona early this week.  This incident has attracted national attention, due to a video clip that no self respecting TV station could exclude from it evening news.  The footage shows a fish collector attacking a diver who is creating a video of his activities.  He literally rips the regulator from her mouth.   The collector makes the ridiculous statement that he was feeling threatened by the lady photographer.   And the police are doing exactly nothing!

Threadfin Butterfly, the night coloration

    This is an issue I feel pretty strongly about. Fish collecting for the aquarium trade is hardly illegal in Hawaii.  The people on the local news (KHNL) actively took the side of the collector, despite his outrageous actions.

It is a sad fact, that the media and the government in Hawaii are perfectly happy to support anyone who wants to take the marine animals, right up to the point of extinction.  It is obvious to me that the fish collectors are having a negative effect on our fish populations and need to be regulated, preferably put out of business.  I am not holding my breath on this one. 

Threadfin Butterfly, the day coloration

      Governor Abercrombie and the Hawaii State Legislature have showed little  interest in protecting our reefs on the Big Island.  But they should.  Collecting reef fish should be no different than taking songbirds, which our society deemed unacceptable long ago.   The Migratory Bird Act was passed in 1918.  I suggest we call our congressmen in Washington, DC with the hope that the Reef Fish Act be passed in 2014 and this threat to our fish populations be eliminated. 

jeff



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/15/aquarium-fish-industry_n_5333537.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ1YYA6nIws