Ocean Watch

Monday, June 16, 1997

Ta‘ape, a 1950s import,
has spelled trouble here

Twice last week, I heard that ta'ape (also called bluestripe snapper) are causing problems in Hawaii. On one occasion, a state official mentioned the possibility of the fish crowding Hanauma Bay. Another time, I saw an exhibit that stated these fish are responsible for the depletion of some native species.

Are these fish really such troublemakers, I wondered? How do we know? And if it's true, what can be done?

Ta'ape is the French Polynesian name for a type of snapper the state's Division of Fish and Game (now DLNR) introduced into Hawaiian waters in the 1950s. Officials believed this species would be a valuable commercial fish here and released about 3,200 into waters around Oahu.

This intentional transfer sounds shocking to our environmentally sensitive ears of today, but back then, moving species around was often an innocent effort to do good. Wildlife officials concentrated on the jobs and food the introduction might create instead of its potential problems.

Things have changed, of course, and now we're bending over backward to keep nonnative plants and animals out of Hawaii. But we're stuck forever with some of the old introductions, such as ta'ape.

These pretty yellow fish with the bright blue stripes not only survived in that 1950s release -- they flourished. Schools of ta'ape have been seen near all the main Hawaiian Islands as well as the islands of Hawaii's northwest chain up to Midway.

That's too bad because today nearly everyone believes bringing these fish to Hawaii was a mistake.

People here, it turns out, don't like to eat ta'ape as much as they like native snappers, such as opakapaka, ehu and onaga. So even though the ta'ape catches are large, the demand is low and the fish aren't lucrative.

Native snappers, however, are lucrative. The problem with these species is that their numbers are dwindling to a point where the state is in the process of implementing new fishing restrictions to save the industry.

Why are native snappers so scarce? Some people believe that ta'ape eat the young. Others claim that ta'ape are outcompeting the native species for their favorite foods such as crabs, shrimp and small fish. Still others think the native species have been overfished.

True answers to this problem are hard to find. Fisheries biologists have difficulty studying native snappers because they live several hundred feet deep, far beyond scuba limits.

Are ta'ape down there by the hoards eating the more valuable snappers or gobbling up all their food? No one knows.

Ta'ape also live in shallow waters and have been blamed for shortages of goatfish, squirrelfish and Kona crabs.

In 1980, researchers examined the stomach contents of both ta'ape and one kind of squirrelfish in a section of Oahu. The two species had eaten different food, showing no clear competition between the two.

But this was just one limited study done a long time ago. University of Hawaii fisheries biologist Jim Parrish is planning a more extensive study in which fishermen, who know the most about these fish, will be invited to help with field research.

Meantime, even if researchers learn that ta'ape are outcompeting or eating our fish, the aliens are here to stay. There's no way to eradicate a species that has spread through 1,500 miles of ocean.

One solution to the ta'ape problem is for Hawaii residents to eat more of these fish. Ta'ape are popular food fish in French Polynesia; some positive public relations by the state could make them popular here too.

Another solution is for Hawaii anglers to support upcoming regulations for bottomfish. Whatever the cause of their shortage, native snappers need help.