THE OCTOPUS BOUNTY HUNTER

Charlie, Kauai's Octopus Bounty Hunter

(Photo courtesy of SKA)

As intelligent, resourceful, and innovative as the octopus might be, they are no match for a determined octopus fisherman.  On the beautiful Garden Island, the oldest sibling of the Hawaiian

volcanic chain, Charlie, aka The Octopus Bounty Hunter, is arguably the creme de la creme.

Weather and tide permitting, Charlie is up long before the multicolored bantam roosters, running wild and overpopulating the island with their fowl presence, even think about clearing their throats with that first morning crow. 

He is dedicated, organized, and relentless in his pursuit of the octopus.

It is rumored that the tentacled arthropods all along the Kauai coastline do their mating whenever Charlie takes a day off.  Loosely interpreted, this means that the octopi are recreating and procreating only during high tides and nasty weather conditions.  

I can just see it now.  On any given reef or local ocean bed, the blinking (rapid color-changing) male of the species is calling out to his potential mate,  

"Eh, honey!  Mo' bettah we hook up right now befo' dat Chahlie come around, yeah?"

"Okay, sweetie!  I goin' put on my puka-coral necklace and be right ovah!"

"Yeah, well, hurry up because I stay all stressed out.  And you know how dat affect my performance!"

Ah, yes...the ongoing quest otherwise known as the survival of the fittest.

I jest, of course, but it's all in an effort to underscore just how good this local boy is.

Just a few months ago, he was sitting at home wondering how he was going to get rid of 300 pounds of frozen octopus meat in order to make room for the rest of his family's frozen goods.

Then, one day, after talking story (shooting the breeze) with his brother who has a small business on eBay, Charlie was inspired to pursue Craigslist as a viable means of marketing and selling his overflow.  Charlie had seen ads on the local site for selling opihi (Hawaiian limpet), but he wasn't sure how the sale of tako would fare on that online marketing venue.

But the listing was free, so why not try?

And try he did. 

At first, nothing happened.

Gradually, however, he began getting a few nibbles.  Soon, the nibbles turned to gobbles.  Within a month's time, the volume of demand surpassed the volume of he'e that had been sitting on ice. 

At $5 a pound, a most reasonable price in today's economy...and certainly far less expensive than what the grocery stores were asking...Charlie soon sold out his frozen octopus.  

Now, with most of his bills paid and money in his pocket, the delicious dilemma he faced was to go fish for more octopus to help feed his family and hustle up a decent income for living expenses.  I use the adjective delicious because, next to his aloha for his family, Charlie LOVES to go fishing. It's in his blood.  It's in his Polynesian heritage.  It's in his very soul.

Long a decent spear fisherman in both shallow shore as well as over-the-reef fishing, Charlie began concentrating more on finding and capturing the elusive tako.  Some days, he came up empty-handed...well, not really, because he would always have the fallback benefit of spearing a variety of fish.  Most of the time, he found his octopus.  Quite frequently, as in the photo above, and especially in his more recent dives, he has caught multiple octopi.

Charlie's hobby/business has grown to the point where he's established a more than sufficient customer base.  In fact, he has had to delete his listing on Craigslist.

Recently, I kidded with him.  "Charlie, maybe you better hire that Jamaican guy I saw lying on the beach last December."   

(Click on the link below.  Check out the post and find the photo of the colorfully clad Rastafarian of whom I was referring.)

http://hawaiianodysseus.blogspot.com/2011/03/effects-of-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami.html

Charlie laughed.  But he and I were on the same page.  When good things happen as the result of seizing golden opportunities in the midst of struggling, there's a part of us that wants to share our good fortune with others.  

I never preach to Charlie, and he shows me the same respect.  But we do speak spiritually nonetheless.  We know there's a compassionate God who cares about each and every one of us here on earth.  We keep it simple.  We thank Him in our own special way.  Charlie pays homage every day he leaves the beauty of the sea.  I like to think I do it every time I pound out a post on my two blogs.

In any event, I keep in touch with Charlie on a weekly basis.  I like hearing of his successes.  He and I have had our share of dark times.  In the late summer of his life, and in the autumn of mine, we have hopefully begun learning that no matter how dark things may seem, there's always light peeking in somewhere.  We just need to go look for it.

Speaking of light, I couldn't think of a more fitting way to bring today's post to a conclusion than to present you with something lighthearted to watch.  

(I want to thank fellow blogger, Shirley Hao, who shared the following video with the readers of her post dated December, 2009, in the earthjustice.org blog.  I also want to acknowledge the team of scientific researchers from Australia's Museum Victoria who made the video.)

A CRAIGSLIST SUCCESS STORY

Charlie and four of his octopi friends

(Photo courtesy of S. K. A.)

An enterprising local boy from Kauai has combined his passion for octopus fishing with the e-commerce vitality of the juggernaut social medium, Craigslist.  

Fellow Kauaians who eagerly search for octopus in local stores, sadly discovering that this seafood is often sold out, find themselves without bait while their friends and other fishermen are hauling in papio, ulua, and other game fish that are compelled to strike the alluring tentacles and mantles of the octopus.

In the meantime, Charlie, a proficient octopus hunter, was facing a different kind of problem.  He had a freezer full of octopi.  Even after giving some of the delicacy to family and friends, he found himself hard pressed to clear up room in his freezer for ice and frozen foods.

One day, while discussing the very issue with his brother over the telephone, the proverbial light bulb came on.  Hey!  Why not advertise on Craigslist?  What could he lose?  After all, the listing would be free, and in what appears to be a double dip recession, you can't beat FREE!

His brother thought it was a brilliant idea and fully supported it.   Although Charlie was initially skeptical of the idea, he found his brother's support to be encouraging.

One day, then, he drafted a simple little ad and posted it on the Kauai Craigslist.

At first, not unlike Charlie's initial endeavors to catch the slippery, elusive TAKO (Japanese) or HE'E (Hawaiian), the lack of response almost prompted him to abandon what appeared to be a hairbrained idea.  But he committed to leaving the ad up for another week.

Eventually, like the sudden shock of a big fish hitting a line with tremendous impact, the first sale came through.  At first, the initial sales were few and far between.  Gradually, however, the entrepreneurial dam cracked wide open, and like a rushing, hellbent flood, orders began pouring in.  

Soon thereafter, Charlie's octopus stash was 100% depleted.  

About the same time, Kauai was hosting its annual papio/ulua fishing contest.  The locals were in a frenzy as they searched high and low for the prime octopus bait.

You know how it goes when demand overshadows supply.  The economic dynamics favor the seller. Such was the case with Charlie...big time!

Literally working his butt off (he'd lost 15 lbs in a month's time), Charlie went diving almost every day, diligently studying and taking wise advantage of the tidal and meteorological patterns.  He was able to meet his orders while growing a substantial customer base and a secure advance reservations list.

Most of us have heard the recent news about tragic Craigslist events.  This post won't give any attention to these things beyond the mere mention of them for the purpose of creating a contrast.

We need more stories like Charlie's to provide a basis with which to inspire other aspiring hobbyists and potential businessmen to utilize Craigslist and other social media for the promotion of constructive and successful transactions.  This is of special significance during these anxious and unsettling economic times.

Congratulations to Charlie and others like him who perpetuate the American economy, one small step at a time.

http://hawaiianodysseus.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-brother-charlie-excellent-octopus.html

http://86881gpk6hrmfwh211s1v3whtq.hop.clickbank.net/

CHARLIE BAGS AN OCTOPUS

In two previous blog posts, we featured my brother, Charlie, with good-sized trophy octopi.

(Please click on the following to access referenced blog posts.)

http://hawaiianodysseus.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-brother-charlie-excellent-octopus.html





http://hawaiianodysseus2.blogspot.com/2011/01/silas-kaumakahia-aqui-with-6-lb-octopus.html


Now, we're pleased to present actual video footage of Charlie capturing an octopus. 

Mahalo, Charlie, for providing us with this wonderful opportunity to view this experience as it happened!




                                                

MY BROTHER, CHARLIE, AN EXCELLENT OCTOPUS HUNTER



Charlie A. with 9.5 lb Prize Catch
(photo courtesy of  SKA)



Hey, folks, today I want to feature my brother, Charlie, ten years my junior. When he was a young boy, he showed no interest whatsoever in anything Hawaiiana--no fishing, no eating of local food, a complete lack of participation in the island culture. He was so anti-native that we used to mercilessly tease him about being haole and, as if that wasn't cruel enough, added that he had been left on our front doorstep when he was just an infant. Flash forward 3+ decades and--surprise, surprise!--Charlie has emerged among us four brothers as the premiere Hawaiian fisherman and follower of the ancient customs. Speaking for myself, he sure put me to shame!

Anyway, I am so proud of his transformation into a genuinely appreciative and respectful kanaka.

One of Charlie's talents is his keen eye for concealed octopi. The tentacled sea creatures are adept at camouflaging themselves according to their natural environment. Still, there are certain hints that the trained octopus hunter's eye picks up...for example, the octopus habitually creates a ring of coral pieces that serve as its portal gateway. The neat arrangement of coral stands out as a dead giveaway to the veteran octopus hunter.

In the islands, octopus is usually referred to by its Japanese name--TAKO. A surprisingly tasty delicacy, tako eaten raw in a special miso (soy-based) sauce is an island favorite. Most islanders boil the tako. It can also be dried and eaten as a jerky.

The Hawaiian name for octopus--and I just learned this two weeks ago--is HE'E.

This, then, is my tribute to my 48-year-old little brother, Charlie, with his prize 9-1/2 lb. he'e.