Uhu or parrotfish are one of the more sought after fish among Hawai'i divers. Females are normally reddish brown, and males are a vibrant blue-green and larger in size. They taste delicious, can grow up to 15lbs and their splendid colors make for a great trophy catch. The story of the uhu however, is a prime example of how our fishing mentality has changed and why many of our fisheries are depleted. Unlike other fish species, when a male uhu is removed from its harem, the females do not go in search for another male. Instead, one of the females will change themselves into the new male breeder of their group. This metamorphosis however, can take up to a year and during that time none of the females eggs in that harem can be fertilized to produce more keiki. It is a trophy mentality to get the biggest fish in the sea and for this species, blue uhu's are the biggest. If someone were to harvest two females producing more food than one male, that male would still be able to breed for the rest of the year thus ultimately adding more fish to the reef. There are some areas in Hawaiʻi that have already adopted this concept. In the county of Maui it is illegal catch blue uhu but this regulation hasn't yet taken place on the other islands. Instead it's on all of us as pono fishermen and stewards to not wait for a law to be enacted in order to harvest our resources responsibly. Our Uhu Uliuli uluna measures 15” long and is made with 100% organic cotton and stuffed with hypoallergenic eco-friendly recycled polyester fibers.
