Hawai'i's State Fish

[Miulang]

Must've been a really slow news day...everybody in Hawai'i (and many tourists) believe the humuhumunukunukuapua'a is the State fish of Hawai'i. Come to find out, when the fish was first declared Hawai'i's piscene mascot in 1984, there was controversy over how it got chosen, so the State Legislature designated the fish as the official state fish for only 5 years. So since 1989, you've had no official fish!

..."Here's a cute little fish. It kind of looks like a pig and it squawks and everything," said Chuck Johnston, editor of Hawaii Fishing News.

It's also a good candidate because no one eats a humuhumu, he said. Picking a popular game fish such as the ulua could be a problem if environmentalists push to protect the fish from fishermen, he said.

Johnston has asked Gov. Linda Lingle to give the fish the state title in perpetuity through an executive order.

In her reply early last year, Lingle said that decision should instead be left to the public. She also pointed out that the humuhumu has not historically been held in very high regard, having been used by early Hawaiians as fuel for their fires, not their stomachs.

While Johnston had originally advocated for the Pacific blue marlin two decades ago, his support now for the humuhumu is unwavering.

"The logical choice is the one that was already selected," Johnston said. "It has been there. He's been crowned." ...

So if it's put up to a vote again, which fish that swims in Hawaiian waters would you pick as your official state fish?

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

There are a couple of fish that are only found in Hawaiian waters which might be good candidates if one of the criteria is that the species is unique to Hawaii:

One is the flame angelfish, which is absolutely gorgeous...it's a red angelfish with black stripes and is a reef fish that is seen in saltwater aquariums. Another one that is indigenous is the common hinalea.

Miulang

[1stwahine]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

They should leave it humuhumunukunukuapua'a !

...if dey going get silly den go put da Tilapia from the Canal by Aala Park,or da Sand Isand Baracuda !

Auntie Lynn

[Surfingfarmboy]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

I ran the latest edition of the HNL Marathon wearing my favorite wornout running shirt with a humuhumunukunukuapua'a emblazened on it. It's a Crazy Shirt, perhaps circa mid-1980's, this age estimation based on the shirt tag style and where the Crazy Shirt patch is sewn on to the shirt. It's one I picked up at a thrift store in Kapa'a for a $1 years ago. This shirt is the perfect weight for running in Hawaiian humidity..it's almost to the point now, from countless runs in heat and cold, where it is almost tissue thin and is in possession of too many holes that have been created (and subsequntly expanded over time) from pins that held up bib numbers from previous marathons. The shirt is so fragile now that I wear it exclusively during really warm marathons I've entered or the very rare days in RI when I have to run distance and the temparature is over 90 degrees. I hate running without a shirt, so this shirt, being so thin and light-weight, is the next best thing. The shirt, in typically irreverant Crazy Shirt style, says: "Humuhumunukunukua'pua. Swim softly and carry a big name."

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

They should leave it humuhumunukunukuapua'a !

...if dey going get silly den go put da Tilapia from the Canal by Aala Park,or da Sand Isand Baracuda !

Auntie Lynn

Eh Auntie, I agree the state fish should be the Talapia cuz it's da only fish in da big pond at the Capitol Building! And did I ever mention that the pond stinks too! Just like Hawaii politics

[1stwahine]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

Eh Auntie, I agree the state fish should be the Talapia cuz it's da only fish in da big pond at the Capitol Building! And did I ever mention that the pond stinks too! Just like Hawaii politics

Craig Dear, I just got up from my afternoon Nap. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

...dat was so refreshing and soooo truthful!

all that's missing in the pound is the Coqui Frogs!!!

Auntie Lynn

[adrian]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

Must've been a really slow news day

No, it must be a bad news day, because you're getting local news from Florida


But seriously, who can type/spell that fish's name w/out any mistakes?

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

But seriously, who can type/spell that fish's name w/out any mistakes?

Humu-humu-nuku-nuku-a-pua'a. What's so hard about that?

[1stwahine]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

Not hard at all @ 4:49 a.m. in the morning too!

humuhumunukunukuapua'a!

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

I agree. It's also the first lengthy Hawaiian word that a lot of Mainlanders learn to pronounce correctly. (If they can get that, I move them on to Kamakawiwo`ole, since they often know who he IZ.)

[Miulang]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

Well, the Legislature passed legislation today to make the humuhumunukunukuapua'a the official State Fish again, but Gov. Lingle wants the voters of Hawai'i to decide because she says the humuhumu did not have significant status in the culture of the kanaka maoli. If cultural importance is required, what would the state fish be then? The Moi? The aholehole?

Miulang

[kamuelakea]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

This is simply another drive of "localism". Non-Hawaiians trying to introduce anything that will define themselves as "local" and everyone else as "not".

The only reason this fish is being selected (by Plantation AJAs) is the multisyllabic short vowel pronunciation ensures that only people born and raised in Hawaii will be able to pronounce it properly thus separating the non-"locals" (i.e Haoles) from the wannabe-Hawaiians (i.e. locals).

It's not a Hawaiian fish, Hawaiians didn't care for it, it holds no importance in Hawaiian culture or history. And because of that, I think it's the perfect representation of Hawaii today. The Hawaiian-Wannabe culture that is 99% of Hawaii today. I support Humuhumunukunukuapuaa as the state fish. It's perfect.

If not, then the Japanese Boys Day Koi.

That would be a good one too.

[Menehune Man]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

I agree. It's also the first lengthy Hawaiian word that a lot of Mainlanders (even local haoles) learn to pronounce correctly. (If they can get that, I move them on to Kamakawiwo`ole, since they often know who he IZ.)

I won my Mom a drink at a bar in Kona when I was seven 'cause I said it so well.

BTW: I would still vote for it as "our" State fish.
Isn't the state flower the 'Yellow' Hibiscus?

[Miulang]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

I won my Mom a drink at a bar in Kona when I was seven 'cause I said it so well.

BTW: I would still vote for it as "our" State fish.
Isn't the state flower the 'Yellow' Hibiscus?

Yeah, but I think the yellow hibiscus actually IS indigenous to Hawai'i. In the early years it was often pictured as being red because the wording of the proclamation was kinda fuzzy and didn't specifically say "yellow", but that wrong was corrected in later years. And of the official flowers of each of the islands, I believe Maui's (lokelani) is the only flower that wasn't originally found in Hawai'i.

Miulang

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Hawai'i's State Fish

I agree the state fish should be the Talapia cuz it's da only fish in da big pond at the Capitol Building!

Is there a Golden Corral in Hawaii? There's a commercial of Golden Corral praising and serving Talapia dishes.