Aku is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It grows up to 3 ft in length.
Aku is a streamlined, fast-swimming pelagic fish, common in tropical waters throughout the world, where it inhabits surface waters in large shoals (up to 50,000 fish), feeding on fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and molluscs. It is an important prey species for large pelagic fishes and sharks. It has no scales, except on the lateral line and the corselet (a band of large, thick scales forming a circle around the body behind the head). It commonly reaches lengths up to 31 in and a weight of 18–22 lb. Its maximum fork length is 43 in and maximum weight is 76 lb. Aku estimates a lifespan range between 8 and 12 years.
Want to catch some of your own?
Most resent observations (from all our affiliated Captains) stat this has been the best year for deep sea fishing! Catches are coming back in record breaking amounts and record breaking sizes.... but why?
Theory goes it's due to El Niño.
El Niño events are associated with physical and biological changes in our oceans that affect fish distribution. Among the variations in oceanographic features that are observed following an El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event are changes in sea-surface temperatures, changes in the vertical, thermal structure of the ocean (particularly in coastal regions), and altered coastal and upwelling currents. These changes can directly affect the species composition and abundance of fishes. In the northern hemisphere, El Niño events typically result in observations of tropical, warm water species moving north (thereby extending their range). Cold water species move north or into deeper water (thereby restricting their range). Surface-oriented, schooling fish often disperse and move into deeper waters. Fishes that remain in an affected region experience reduced growth, reproduction, and survival.
For your benefit, El Niño increases your chances of catching The Big One on your trip to Hawaii!! Book a Deep Sea Trip Today
Ahi is among the larger tuna species, ranging as high as 2.4 m (94 in) in length and 200 kg (440 lb) in weight. The name comes from the second dorsal fin and the anal fin, as well as the finlets between those fins and the tail, as they are bright yellow. The main body is a very dark metallic blue, changing to silver on the belly, which has about 20 vertical lines.
Ahi often travel in schools with similarly sized companions. They sometimes school with other tuna species and mixed schools of small yellowfin and skipjack tuna, in particular, are commonplace. They are often associated with various species of dolphins or porpoises, as well as with larger marine creatures such as whales and whale sharks. They also associate with drifting flotsam such as logs and pallets, and sonic tagging indicates some follow moving vessels.
Ahi prey include other fish, pelagic crustaceans, and squid. Like all tunas, their body shape is designed for speed, enabling them to pursue and capture fast-moving baitfish such as flying fish, sauries, and mackerel. Schooling species such as myctophids or lanternfish and similar pelagic driftfish, anchovies, and sardines are frequently taken. Large Ahi pray on smaller members of the tuna family such as frigate mackerel and skipjack tuna.
In turn, Ahi are preyed upon when young by other pelagic hunters, including larger tuna, seabirds, and predatory fishes such as wahoo, shark, and billfish. Adults are threatened only by the largest and fastest hunters, such as toothed whales, particularly the false killer whale, pelagic sharks such as the mako and great white, large Atlantic blue marlin and Pacific blue marlin, and black marlin.
Ahi are able to escape most predators, because unlike most fish, tuna are warm-blooded, and their warm muscles make them extremely strong swimmers, with Ahi reaching "speeds of up to 50 miles per hour". (They can navigate enormous distances, sometimes crossing entire oceans.)
To catch your own!
There really is no fishing seasons in the Hawaiian islands, nothing predictable anyway. Hawaii's gamefish are pelagic and the Hawaii Islands are a stop over on the fish's on going pursuit of food. Hawaii’s gamefish live to eat and make little fish, hopefully before they are eaten themselves by another, bigger predator, with movement based on currents and water temperatures.
Hawaii is the only place in the world where marlin weighing over 1000 pounds have been caught during every month of the year. In Fact, all the top gamefish mahi mahi, ono, ahi, blue and striped marlin can be caught during any month of the year, it’s just that some times of year can be more rewarding than others.
There are seasonal trends and there is overlapping though:
The larger blue marlin that show up in Maui waters during the summer months are tapering off, though a few big ones can still be caught in September. The fall is the time for Big Eye Tuna. Smaller ahi (yellowfin tuna) and mahi mahi (dorado) can still be caught in the fall too, though the number of mahi tend to drop slightly as winter approaches. Marlin hookups, while they do occur, are rarer as winter approaches. Strikes that do occur do so farther offshore.
After Labor day charters tend to slow down, so it can be very hard to get on a shared charter as not enough people will sign up, so private charters are the best way to ensure you will get out.
Winter start of slow in the Hawaii sport fishing industry, but gets busy towards the end. Fishing is good, but with fewer “hot” bites like we see in the summer. Big Eye tuna are in season during the winter. The mahi bite is still consistent, and striped marlin are showing up more in January.
November visitor crowds peak the weekend before Thanksgiving. It is very busy here during Thanksgiving week. After Thanksgiving week, things get quiet again until after the second week of December, when we ready ourselves for the busiest time of the year on Hawaiii.
While spring may not be the best time for the big blue marlin, many of the others big game fish are reaching good numbers. May in particular can be a very productive month to fish off the shores of Hawaii. All in all, spring fishing off Hawaii can be an exciting time to fish. Striped marlin begin appearing in greater numbers in February. March and April they’re pretty common
From Mid March through the first week of April things are busy here for fishing charters, with spring break so book early.
Summer is great for the larger fish such as blue marlin in excess of 500lbs, and ahi (yellowfin tuna) over 100lbs are caught more during the summer than at any other time during the year. The quality and size of the fish can be better than the consistency in the summer, with no catches some days and then huge fish caught the next.
More families and wedding parties or groups come to Hawaii in the summer months, so larger boats are in High demand.
The day After Thanksgiving (Friday) is known as Black Friday. This also is unofficially or officially start of holiday shopping season. Almost all stores come out with Doorbuster Sales with early bird special to attract consumers to their stores. People stand in line hours before store is opened, to grab the bargain of the year. Almost every store has something that interests every one. For bargain hunters, if there is a biggest festival in a year, that would be, no doubt, the Black Friday.
For Black Friday Deals at Hawaii Deep Sea Fishing:
Hawaii Deep Sea Fishing is excited to work with the 50’ Pacifica sport fishing yacht that looks good from the inside to the outside. Located in the Kewalo Basin near Waikiki one can experience day charters on Magic where everything is provided for except your personal lunch and beverages.
Captain Russell Tanaka has over 35 years of experience commercial and charter fishing in the Hawaiian waters. He has won two tournaments by catching the largest fish weighing in at over 1,000 pounds! When fishing on Magic, Captain Russell maintains a 95% catch rate meaning your chances of the big one are high on Magic
Check out more on Magic
Celebrating Veterans Day in Hawaii has the possibility of being both unique and memorable as there are so many historic sites to pay respect to the fallen and learn about the service of the living. Honoring men and women for the sacrifice of service is an opportunity for us to recognize and celebrate national heroes. What better place to observe the day of homage than in the state that endured the vicious attack that began World War II.
On November the 11th, The Battleship Missouri Memorial will bring all Veterans Day and Armistice Day observances around the world to a close with a special ceremony on the ship’s Fantail just before sunset on Tuesday, November 11.
As an official Regional Site for the observance of Veterans Day by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, this year's ceremony aboard the retired USS Missouri will pay tribute to the sacrifice of all our nation’s veterans – past and present. Special attention will be paid to our most recent generation of men and women who have bravely chosen to take a stand and protect our freedom and liberty in America’s current conflicts.
The ceremony will feature special remarks by Rear Admiral Richard L. Williams, Commander of Navy Region Hawaii and the Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific, and Vice Admiral Robert K.U. Kihune, USN (Ret.), former chairman and current member of the Board of Directors for the USS Missouri Memorial Association.
We say mahalo on behalf of a grateful nation forever indebted to our fallen warriors and their families and all who continue to serve
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