Angling

Hawaiʻi is a space where culture, nature, and sustainability are woven together. At the heart of this connection is the ancient Hawaiian concept of living pono — a word that translates to righteous or proper. In the context of fishing, pono is a way of life that speaks to a deep responsibility to respect and protect natural resources that have nourished the islands for generations. Across the Hawaiian Islands, Sport Fish Restoration funds are being used to support fisheries and foster the principles of pono fishing.

This year, the Sport Fish Restoration Act turns 75. This milestone marks three-quarters of a century ensuring that sport fish populations and aquatic habitats are healthy, sustainable, and accessible for all. No other funding method has had the same longevity, consistency, and significance for fisheries management in the United States.

Form follows function for a fusiform shoal bass, and its common and scientific name are most fitting. This little-known member of the black bass family, kin to the familiar largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, is found only in Georgia, Florida, and a small segment of Alabama in the Apalachicola River basin.  Scientists know it as Micropterus cataractae and that says it all.  It’s a bass most at home in the eddies around frothy falling rocky rapids, or shoals.