Spirit of Aloha | Features | September/October 2002

Ocean, Reef, Lagoon: Sportfishing in the Marshall Islands
By SOPHIA V. SCHWEITZER

Anglers are finding that with more than a thousand species of fish thriving in the waters around the Marshall Islands, the bite is guaranteed

Some 2,500 miles southwest of Hawai'i, the Republic of the Marshall Islands consists of 1,220 islets that form 29 atolls and five islands scattered across an expanse of ocean measuring 750,000 square miles. Total land area barely covers Washington, D.C. More than half of the 52,000 Marshall Islands residents live on the capital atoll of Majuro or on Kwajalein. The outer atolls lie largely unexplored. There, coconut trees provide shade on the flat lands. You might see a tipnol, a Marshallese canoe, sailing across a calm lagoon. Warm waves ripple over shallow reefs and pound against open shores.

Nourished by hundreds of different types of breathing, spawning coral reefs, more than 1,000 species of fish swim the atolls' undisturbed waters.

One reason for this incredible variety: "You have all these different ocean depths," says James Bing II, a fisherman who was born and raised on Majuro and has fished around the world. "Two miles out into the ocean, you're already at 5,000 feet. Four miles out, you reach the end of a 7,000-foot-deep ledge and suddenly it drops another 10,000 to 20,000 feet. Inside the lagoon? About 120 feet deep." Add to that the wading-depth reefs and the dramatic shift in daily tides, and you can expect some unusual catches.

As I would soon find out, the best way to hook those catches is the local way. You relax. You listen to the Marshallese fishermen. And you slow way down. Why hurry, after all, when the bite is guaranteed?
You'll find all your popular sportfish here: blue marlin, sailfish, yellowfin tuna, skipjack, wahoo, mahimahi, barracuda, bonefish, snappers, rainbow runners, groupers and trevally. "But also sweetlips, black ulua and lots of other fish we don't have in Hawai'i," adds Mike Sakamoto, who lives in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Executive producer and host of the Hawai'i TV program Fishing Tales, Sakamoto spent 10 days fishing in the Marshall Islands in July of last year.

He traveled prepared for the wide variety of fish: "My own lures, fishing tackle and spare parts for repairs. In addition, I took 12 separate outfits with me, from light spinning to medium-size trolling gear. You never know what's going to happen and you want to be able to respond to all that fish out there, even though it makes for a big tackle box."

In sportfishing circles, the names Bikini and Mili pop up as favorite outer atoll destinations, but Likiep, Arno, Jaluit, as well as tiny Mejit, offer equally awesome adventures. A dozen charter boats, owned by local fishermen and ranging from 25 feet to 45 feet in size, offer their services around Majuro under the rather unofficial umbrella of the Marshalls Charter Boat Association.

There's another lure. The Marshalls' Billfish Club has been hosting big-game fishing events around Majuro Atoll since 1983. The most prestigious of these, the annual Fisherman's Day Tournament held the first week of July and the annual Mobil All Micronesian Fishing Tournament held in August, draw participants from as far away as New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Last year's winner? "Kyle, my son, hooked a 719-pound marlin, just two or three miles offshore," Rudy Aliven had told me, days before I headed out to the Marshall Islands myself to explore its fishing grounds.

Aliven sounded so casual you would think all fathers have 14-year-old sons walking away with $15,000 in prize money and round-trip tickets to Hawai'i. To the Alivens, who live on Majuro, excellence in fishing does indeed come naturally. Fishing and knowledge of the ocean run through their blood. Fishing techniques and family secrets, as well as powers of observation, have been passed on from generation to generation. They are Marshallese. And, in the Marshall Islands, you fish.

Two days into my visit, Kirtake, a 37-footer owned by Capt. Ronnie Reimers, takes me to Arno, an atoll just nine miles from Majuro. It's a stormy day in November, not a great time of year to go fishing. The best times, I am told, are between May and October. Today, Kirtake is in for a rough ride.

Our little boat hurls itself into open-ocean waves, and as I peer into their black depths, I think I see the tip of a tiger shark. I'll never know for sure, although Walsay, a young Marshallese fisherman who is with us on the trip, tells me there are plenty of them. He isn't concerned. His dark face breaks into a reassuring, shy smile. Later, Sakamoto informs me that when he went out spearfishing, there were five or 10 tiger sharks around all the time.

In the afternoon, when we head back, the wind calms down. In the distance, Majuro's skyline of palm trees and buildings clears through the fog. Suddenly, a sleek, gray shape leaps through the water on my left. Three more. Five. Twelve. Definitely not sharks. We are surrounded by a school of dolphins that race the bow of the boat in elegant, smooth pairs. Entranced, both Walsay and I jump up. This, I realize, is his ocean, yet he is in awe just the same.

And the fishing? Walsay holds the lines, while Reimers scans the sky for birds that indicate the presence of fish. Within minutes we reel in a fat skipjack tuna. Dinner for tonight has just been decided. Walsay is content.

As I learn during my stay, the Marshallese people fish mostly for daily sustenance. Spearfishing is a favorite way to catch. Big-game fishing, however, is far less
common.

"Sportfishing is new to the Marshall Islands," explains James Bing. "It's growing slowly." Bing himself loves it. "It's the sound of the reel, the rush of adrenaline, the sight of that fish clearing the water, the struggle before releasing it again," he smiles.

Releasing isn't common practice yet in the Marshall Islands. Still, more and more Marshallese captains are happy to oblige. "It makes sense," says Bing. "Why take more than you can eat? I have two sons. I want there to be fish for them as well. I want them to experience fishing and enjoy it."

Bing is owner of the 45-foot Lady Lu-007, a high-speed ocean racer that his family found washed ashore on an outer island in 1998. It now takes visitors to places as far away as Mili. Just last year he took a Hawai'i family to this outer atoll and stayed there with them for three days. During the day, father, son and Bing went fishing. The mother and daughter accompanied them once and, another time, chose
to stay on Mili's pristine shore to snorkel and to look for crabs. Needless to say, they had a wonderful time. Bing and other charter captains make sure of that. They'll go with you to do pelagic, bottom, target and reef fishing, jigging, casting, whipping, trolling or,
says Bing, "whatever else you want,
wherever."

This willingness to make visitors feel welcome defines the Marshallese spirit. The Marshallese are friendly in
the most sincere and humble ways. Although VCRs and fast food have infiltrated Majuro, most Marshallese live the way they have lived for hundreds of years, surviving on fish, breadfruit, pandanus and coconut. They own little more than a corrugated tin roof over their heads. Still, they'll share with you whatever they've got, help you whichever way they can. They'll teach you the names of the fish that you catch, tell you which ones are safe and which ones are toxic. When you're thirsty, they'll offer you fresh coconuts to eat or drink.

And, waiting for fish to bite, they might just share those fish stories that seem unbelievable to the outsider but that you know are true. Bing relates an incident involving a Japanese visitor who had wanted to fish the All Micronesian Fishing Tournament without help. After two days, he still had no luck. Bing took pity on him: "He was desperate for that picture, you know, of him standing beside his marlin. So I took him out. We hooked. He begins to reel the fish in." Bing starts to chuckle. "Finally, the fish leaps up. The man takes one look at the marlin and backs off. 'Too big!' he screams."

Bing also talks about family superstitions. Walsay tells me about magic. Aliven shares the traditional techniques still practiced in faraway atolls like Jaluit: "Fifteen people hold on to a piece of rope without a net. When they find a school of rainbow runners they chase it, surround it and bring it to shallower waters. Then they just scoop the fish up. Right on the reef, when the tide goes out, fishermen chase schools of rabbitfish onto the beach, corralling them into pockets where they can gather them." Are these stories relevant to visiting anglers? Sure, because you just may be invited along.

The eve of my departure, Bing says to me: "You know, I have to go fishing at least once a week or I'll get sick. I need my salt." I understand him now. The Marshallese inherent love for the water has become mine in a mere five days. You angle there, you get hooked.

SET UP A FISHING VACATION IN THE MARSHALLS
Contact the Marshall Islands Visitors Authority:
P.O. Box 5, Majuro, MH 96960
Republic of the Marshall Islands
Phone: 692-625-6482, 692-625-2445
Fax: 692-625-6771
E-mail: tourism@ntamar.com
Web site: www.yokwe-yok.com

FLY THERE ON ALOHA AIRLINES
Aloha Airlines Direct Service to Majuro and Kwajalein
Aloha Airlines offers twice weekly scheduled service between Honolulu and the Marshall Islands. For this service, Aloha offers the same "Aloha brand" of distinctive amenities that has long earned the Hawai'i-based airline a reputation for schedule reliability, affordable air fares and high customer service. For more information or to make reservations, contact Aloha Airlines. For calls originating in the continental United States and Canada, dial 1-800-367-5250. In Hawai'i, call 484-1111 (O'ahu), 244-9071 (Maui), 245-3691 (Kaua'i), 935-5771 (Kona or Hilo, Big Island). For calls originating in the Marshall Islands, dial 1-888-477-7010. Or contact your travel professional. www.alohaairlines.com.

FLIGHT SCHEDULE
Honolulu-Majuro

Honolulu to Majuro:
MON TUE
Leave Arrive Flt. No. Stops
1:30 p.m. 5:20 p.m. 355 1

THU FRI
Leave Arrive Flt. No. Stops
1:30 p.m. 5:20 p.m. 351 1

Majuro to Honolulu
WED TUE
Leave Arrive Flt. No. Stops
11:04 a.m. 6:25 p.m. 356 1
SAT FRI
Leave Arrive Flt. No. Stops
11:04 a.m. 6:25 p.m. 352 1

Honolulu-Kwajalein

Honolulu to Kwajalein
MON TUE
Leave Arrive Flt. No. Stops
1:30 p.m. 6:41 p.m. 355 2

THU FRI
Leave Arrive Flt. No. Stops
1:30 p.m. 6:41 p.m. 351 2

Kwajalein to Honolulu
WED TUE
Leave Arrive Flt. No. Stops
9:30 a.m. 6:25 p.m. 356 2

SAT FRI
Leave Arrive Flt. No. Stops
9:30 a.m. 6:25 p.m. 352 2

Note: Flight schedule subject to change without notice.

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