Notes on the Biology of the Wahoo in the Line Islands

INCIDENTAL CATCHES of wahoo, Acanthocybittm solandri (Cuvier and Valenciennes), have been made by the Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations, a branch of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, during experimental tuna fishing conducted from 1950 to 1956. The exploratory fishing, which extended from 180° to 130 W. longitude and from WON. to 13°S. latitude, has been carried out both close to the islands and in the open sea. The bulk of our wahoo data came from the Line Islands, which from south to north are: Starbuck, Malden, Jarvis, Christmas, Fanning, Washington, and Palmyra islands, and Kingman Reef. They extend in a general northwesterly direction from 5 S. latitude and 155°W.longitude to 7°N. latitude and 163°W. longitude. Although there is no organized fishery in the islands, the copra plantation workers (Gilbertese and Ellice islanders) use beach seines to capture a variety of lagoon and reef fishes and hand lines to catch an occasional tuna or wahoo. Most of the published reports dealing with the wahoo are brief and are concerned primarily with its occurrence and distribution. The presence of wahoo was first noted in the Line Islands by Fowler (1938: 277). Rosa (1950: 75-77) lists a number of references which are of interest principally to taxonomists. In general the biology of the .species is poorly known and has not been previously considered in the central Pacific.