The Pacific Trumpetfish Disappears in Kona

    The Pacific Trumpetfish,  Aulostomus chinensis is one of the most endearing denizens of our reef . With its peculiar elongated body and comical mouth it is unmistakable, easily identified by the beginner.  Not only 

Large yellow trumpetfish at Kailua Pier, February 2013

that, but it comes in two different colors, a dark gray and a gorgeous lemon yellow.  There are few sights on the reef as singular as a two foot yellow trumpetfish skulking by a dark rock wall.

    Despite its odd appearance, or perhaps because of it, the trumpetfish is a cold killer.  It is perhaps the prime piscivore (an animal that eats fish) on the reef.  When observed from the side, the way us snorkelers see it,  the trumpetfish makes quite a sight.   Head on, the perspective of the prey, its profile may be almost negligible.  In one of the storied associations of  the reef, the trumpetfish will change color to match herbivores.  It will blend in with a school of yellow tangs, for example, and slurp up an unsuspecting prey.  This behavior is known in scientific circles as riding.  When a trumpetfish associates with a larger fish like a parrotfish, I see a strong analogy to a stalking horse.  In the picture below, taken at Kahalu'u seven months ago, a yellow trumpet is doing just that.  Look closely and note the odd mouth that can expand to accommodate a fish larger around as the trumpet!

     Now for the tale of woe.  Over the last month trumpetfish have all but disappeared from the reefs of

The Trumpetfish uses a Bullethead Parrot as a Stalking Horse

Kona.  My son James was with us exactly a month ago, affording us a chance to compile a list of reef fish during a quick five days of intense snorkeling.  Trumpetfish were common during that period.

     As you will recall,  ten days later we were visited by our friend Jackie and her grand daughter Aubre, who we attempted to train as an apprentice ichthyologist.   Our first day, we saw 21 species in the Inner Harbour in front of the King Kamehameha Hotel.  This number did not include a trumpetfish.  At the time, this didn't mean too much to me.  A couple days later, Sandra and I took Aubre to Ho'okena.  Say what you will about my lovely wife, but you would be foolish to think that she is not an adept finder of fishes.  With Aubre at our elbow, we saw some cool stuff,  including Heller's Barracuda.  But that night, as we were preparing for Aubre's last snorkeling outing, Sandra and I examined her list. No trumpetfish!   We decided that I would take her for a quick outing on the Ironman side of the pier.  Sandra commented that adding a trumpetfish would be easy.  Forty minutes of vigorous searching did not turn up a single trumpetfish!   

     At this point, we still regarded the missing trumpets as an unfortunate anomaly.  Since then we have swam at Kahalu'u and the pier and, although we weren't paying strict attention, we can not recall seeing any trumpets.

A gray trumpet examines the crevices of the Kailua pier

Two days ago, we put this to a test.  We chose Paul Allen's Reef, the best place we could think of for trumpetfish.  We swam for almost an hour, looking in all the spots we have known those big yellow trumpets to favor.  The number of fellow snorkelers we saw out on the PAR outnumbered trumpetfish ten to one. We got that one trumpet, a big gray fellow, on the way in.

     Yesterday I swam the Ironman side with the express purpose of finding a trumpetfish and saw none.  As I was putting my stuff away a friend came by all chirpy about seeing the dolphins from her paddle board.  I was downhearted but yet congratulated her on her sighting.

    And the bad news may get worse.  The four  hawkfish that we see commonly on our reef may also be decreasing in numbers.  Yesterday I saw only a few Freckled Hawkfish, Paracirrhites forsteri, and two had altered coloration.  Where they afflicted by the same fish borne illness as the trumpets?  

    These fish-eating fish may be concentrating a toxin absorbed by the herbivorous fish on which they prey.  Two examples come to mind.  The better known example involves tuna concentrating mercury from their prey, making them less palatable for our consumption.   A second example involves reef fish like groupers concentrating the toxin that causes ciguaterra.   In both cases, we are aware of this because we are affected in turn by the concentrated poison.  And what, I might ask, of the poke you purchased just yesterday at the local Costco?  Food, as it were, for thought.

     I hate to write a blog so negative. We are headed to City of Refuge tomorrow with friends.  I hope we see a heavenly choir of trumpets and a flight of hawks.

jeff

Alas, Poor Freckleface.  I knew him Horatio.  A hawkfish of infinite jest.