Opihi

Weird, Wild Food

The opihi have been a staple of the Hawaiian diet since pre-contact times but now their population is in danger due to over harvesting. 

An opihi is a mollusk that lives at the intertidal zone where waves crash against the rocks.  They’re sometimes called “the fish of death” by the Hawaiians because harvesting them can be so dangerous.  Pickers can easily be smashed against the rocks or swept away to the ocean.  Their meat tastes like salty snail meat and can be eaten raw or grilled. 

Eating opihi off the rocks is a lifestyle and the East Maui Community decided to do something when they noticed populations drastically dwindling.  The Nature Conservancy helped by setting up protocol to monitor the population and found that since 2010 the opihi population decreased by ½ in the East Maui area.  That’s only 4 years!

The East Maui Community along with the Nature Conservancy has set up no harvest zones along the shorelines to give the opihi the time and space they need to regrow their population.  The State of Hawaii has refused to but bag limits on opihi and as such the opihi population is practically extinct on Oahu.  Maui does not want to follow in Oahu's footsteps and is doing what they can to protect the opihi population. 

 

Tags