Centropyge nahackyi in Hawaii??
- Thread starter Jordani
- Start date
jazzman7838
New member
Well, you'd have to ask these guys why they are not out there catching the Nahackyis. Considering the number of Narcosis, Peppermint, Masked and Abei that have entered the aquarium trade in the last 20 years I'm guessing these guys have a lot more going on in their lives than catching very deep angelfish.
I'm guessing the answer to your question is that Nahackyi are simply much rarer in Kona than those other species are in their normal distribution. People are not seeing groups or pairs, they see an individual once, and very rarely. It will take the perfect opportunity of the right diver at the right time to catch a single fish. We may not even hear about it.
ingtar_shinowa
New member
They might also be protected.
Blue Ring Sting
New member
I think I should. Im gonna make a few calls now and see why not. Lol. It would be interesting to see what price will be asked. I agree, these divers should be collecting Peppermints and Narcosis every other week. 
I think it was a bit earlier in this thread but isn't the Nahacky from a protected atoll? A few of them stroll out of the atoll and end up in Kona where they can be collected?
That is true, but recently I watched a clip where a guy was recording 3 of them swimming in grabbing distance.
I think it was a bit earlier in this thread but isn't the Nahacky from a protected atoll? A few of them stroll out of the atoll and end up in Kona where they can be collected?
That is true, but recently I watched a clip where a guy was recording 3 of them swimming in grabbing distance.
freedive43
New member
They are not protected, just not normally ocurring at any depth in Hawaii which makes it non- productive to dedicate an entire deep dive searching for one.
humaguy
Premium Member
...from the man that knows...
ingtar_shinowa
New member
Johnston Atoll requires a permit just to visit and is a wildlife refuge... can't be much more protected than that. Its also classified as Near-Threatened so you might run into collection issues in Hawaii
ingtar_shinowa
New member
yep... guess i need to refresh my browser more often.
humaguy
Premium Member
lol, I hate when that happens...
freedive43
New member
Also, for clarification, as far as I know Ron Tubbs is not diving a rebreather not does he do 400' dives. He dives open circuit trimix at shallower
depths. Also, Robert Lower only did one chamber ride (not 6) after which he immediately experienced cardiac complications and passed away. We do not collect these rare fish on a regular basis because of the risk involved as well as the fact that there are only a handful
of people in the world willing to pony up the asking price. Commercial rebreather divers in Hawaii have seen a 50% mortality/crippled rate in the past three years. It is a calculated risk that we take but a conscious choice nonetheless.
depths. Also, Robert Lower only did one chamber ride (not 6) after which he immediately experienced cardiac complications and passed away. We do not collect these rare fish on a regular basis because of the risk involved as well as the fact that there are only a handful
of people in the world willing to pony up the asking price. Commercial rebreather divers in Hawaii have seen a 50% mortality/crippled rate in the past three years. It is a calculated risk that we take but a conscious choice nonetheless.
humaguy
Premium Member
really appreciate what you guys do for us, the hobby, and the industry...I am very proud and honored to have some RK collected fish...mahalo and be safe...
Blue Ring Sting
New member
Ok I take that freedive is Rufus? I purchase from Ron quite frequently and he sent me a while ago a document detailing all of the information pertaining to the collection of the Masked Angelfish. In that brief he states that Robert Lower was in a decomp chamber 6 times before he passed away. He also goes on to say that he was not experienced to go down as deep as he did and he wasn't using the correct mix.
I do understand the risks involved and also the market for those deep and rare fish is not very big. I am personally an admirer of what you do. I understand the risks involved in going so deep and that when people ***** about price it frustrates me.
Rufus have you seen a Nahacky at the depths when collecting Peppermints or Narcosis? Any idea when you might be going down deep again on another expedition?
I do understand the risks involved and also the market for those deep and rare fish is not very big. I am personally an admirer of what you do. I understand the risks involved in going so deep and that when people ***** about price it frustrates me.
Rufus have you seen a Nahacky at the depths when collecting Peppermints or Narcosis? Any idea when you might be going down deep again on another expedition?
jazzman7838
New member
I think I should. Im gonna make a few calls now and see why not. Lol. It would be interesting to see what price will be asked. I agree, these divers should be collecting Peppermints and Narcosis every other week.
I think it was a bit earlier in this thread but isn't the Nahacky from a protected atoll? A few of them stroll out of the atoll and end up in Kona where they can be collected?
That is true, but recently I watched a clip where a guy was recording 3 of them swimming in grabbing distance.
The island is protected, the species is not. The clip you saw was from Bruce Carlson; he shot it at Johnston where they are found relatively shallow and common.
People do visit Johnston, whether it's legal or not. It's a bit vague whether parking your sailboat off shore is okay or not (landing on the island itself is definitely not). So you may be able to sail there (only 700 miles each way!) and see these angelfish.
http://www.tripsailor.com/sailing-blogs/2259-blog-honolulu-to-marshall-islands/posts/10364-day-7
Either way, catching a fish there would not be legal as fishing is prohibited out to 50 nmi. But I would not be surprised if some intrepid aquarium collector went out there and caught some, pulled a Steve Robinson and claimed he found them all in Kona.
jazzman7838
New member
:thumbsup:
Peppermint and Narcosis are yet to be found at Hawaii or it's surrounding islands....to the best of my knowledge those recent specimens(that went to the market) were collected somewhere close to Tahiti..thousands and thousands miles away from Nahacky's location...
:thumbsup:
the808state
New member
Waifs only. there have been reports from divers of seeing them here and there, but no breeding populations to the best of my knowledge.
If they were here at collection depths, we would see them
If they were here at collection depths, we would see them
