the more i travel to Molokai, the more i understand about life. i grew up on Oahu so as a hunter, all i wanted was trophy catches and quantity. it was like a contest within my friends so the more we caught, the cooler we were. but that’s all changed now. Molokai changed me. the people live off the land. nobody competes for trophy catches and nobody takes to much. it’s all about sustainable living. the ocean is for seafood, the mountains is for meat. the people take just what they need and no more. and that’s the very reason the resources are plentiful. it’s so amazing to see that with my own eyes.
20 years ago, i’d try to fill up a big bucket of opihi. but now, there is no way i’d do that. i take what i need for dinner, and nothing else.
so yes, the guilt of overfishing on Oahu has finally set in. i’m not proud of the 10 kumu’s i once caught, i’m not proud of the 40 lobsters i once caught, and i’m not proud of posing with a stringer full of fish i speared all by myself. those days are long gone.
my future is this: i’m going to catch only what i need to eat. and more over, i’m going to educate the next generation on how to hunt responsible. that’s what i can do to give back to the ocean that has been so good to me. and hopefully the fish will come back and the next generations can find food. that will make me proud…
