Fell into the ditch that he himself dug.
Caught in his own trap.
Organism of the Week! Aku, Katsuwonis pelamis
This fish is one that most local people will be familiar with. Aku, also known as skipjack tuna, is a delicious, tasty fish that ancient Hawaiians enjoyed much the way we still do. Fish caught in Hawaiian waters these days weigh anywhere from four to thirty pounds. But I imagine the fish caught back in ancient times were much larger, much the way other fish and animals were. Aku are not fish that stay near shore - at their size, it's not surprising that they are deep-water fish. I'm not sure what the more technical term for it is, but that's how I'm describing it. Hawaiians did a lot of shallow water fishing and preferred net fishing for that purpose. But for fishing out in the deep, Hawaiians used hooks made of wood, bone, turtle shell or ivory on a line (preferably made of olona) to get aku and other tasty treats from the deeper ocean.
The only treat I can think of that is still made of aku is the dried fish itself. While it's not one of my favorite foods, it has this oddly addictive quality that makes it difficult for me to stop munching on it. If any of my readers have any tasty recipes for aku, please add it to the comments!
By: Sabrina Robello
Sourced: Here and here
Community Events:
Lei Workshop for Keiki - 9:30-10:30am - April 13, Lyon Arboretum
This is the third in the lei making workshop for kids, at $5 per family. Bring some flowers and foliage to work on your haku lei!
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