3 Nā kī no ka mālama ʻana i ka paka paka

na Michael Bourie, TOF Intern

Ma hope o koʻu hoʻolilo ʻana i ka Kalikimaka i hoʻopaʻa ʻia i loko o ka pale ʻana i ka hau, ua hoʻoholo wau e hoʻolilo i kēia kau hoʻoilo i hala aku nei ma ka Caribbean e lawe ana i kahi papa kula kaiaola moana ma o ka Institute for Sustainable International Studies. Ua noho au i ʻelua pule ma ka Tobacco Caye mai ke kapakai o Belize. Ua kūkulu ʻia ʻo Tobacco Caye ma luna pono o ka Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. He ʻehā mau ʻeka huinaha a he ʻumikūmālima mau kānaka noho mau, eia naʻe ke hoʻomau nei ka poʻe i kapa ʻia he "alanui" (ʻoiai ʻaʻole hoʻokahi kaʻa kaʻa ma ka caye).

Ma kahi o ʻumi mau mile mai ke kūlanakauhale awa ʻāina kokoke loa o Dangriga, ua wehe ʻia ʻo Tobacco Caye mai ka nohona maʻamau o Belize. Ma hope o ka pā ʻana o ka Hurricane Mitch i ka makahiki 1998, ua pōʻino ka hapa nui o nā ʻoihana ma Tobacco Caye. ʻO ka nui o nā hale liʻiliʻi ma ka caye ke hoʻomau nei i ka hoʻihoʻi ʻia.

ʻAʻole i pau ko mākou manawa ma ka caye. Ma waena o nā snorkels he nui i kēlā me kēia lā, ma waho o ke kahakai a me nā uapo, a i ʻole ka holo waʻa wikiwiki, nā haʻiʻōlelo ma ka Tobacco Caye Marine Station, ka piʻi ʻana i nā kumu niu, ka launa pū ʻana me ke kaiāulu kūloko, a me ka hiamoe ʻana i kekahi manawa i ka hammock, mākou. ua hoʻopaʻa mau ʻia i ke aʻo ʻana e pili ana i nā ʻōnaehana kai o ka ʻaʻa ʻaʻa ʻo Mesoamerican.

ʻOiai ua aʻo mākou i ka ʻike no hoʻokahi kau ma luna o ʻelua pule, ʻekolu mau mea i pili iaʻu e pili ana i ka Tobacco Caye a me kāna mau hana mālama kai.

ʻO ka mea mua, ua hana ka poʻe kamaʻāina i kahi pale conch shell e hoʻopuni ana i ka caye i mea e pale ai i ka ʻino hou ʻana. I kēlā me kēia makahiki, e emi ana ke kahakai a e liʻiliʻi ka liʻiliʻi liʻiliʻi. Me ka ʻole o ka nui o nā mangrove ma mua o ka hoʻomohala ʻana o ke kanaka, ua ʻike ʻia ke kahakai i ka ʻinoʻino nui o ka nalu, ʻoi aku hoʻi i ka wā ʻino. He kōkua ka poʻe noho o ka paka paka i ka mālama ʻana i nā hale hoʻokipa, a i ʻole he poʻe lawaiʻa lākou. ʻO ka iʻa maʻamau a kaulana i ka lawaiʻa o Tobacco Caye he conch. Ke hoʻi lākou i ka caye, wehe lākou i ka conch mai ka pūpū a hoʻolei i ka pūpū i uka. ʻO nā makahiki o kēia hana i hana maoli i kahi pale weliweli no ke kahakai. He laʻana maikaʻi loa ia o ka hui ʻana o ke kaiāulu kūloko e kōkua i ka mālama ʻana i ka caye ma ke ʻano hoʻomau a me ke ʻano kaiaola.

ʻO ka lua, ua hoʻokumu ke aupuni o Belize i ka South Water Caye Marine Reserve ma 1996. ʻO nā lawaiʻa a pau o Tobacco Caye he poʻe lawaiʻa akamai a ua maʻa lākou i ka lawaiʻa ma kahakai. Eia nō naʻe, me ka Tobacco Caye e waiho ana ma ka ʻāina kai, ʻike lākou e hele kokoke i hoʻokahi mile mai ke kahakai aku e lawaiʻa. ʻOiai ke huhū nei ka nui o ka poʻe lawaiʻa i ka pilikia o ka mālama kai, ke hoʻomaka nei lākou e ʻike i ka pono. Ke ʻike nei lākou i ka ulu hou ʻana o nā iʻa like ʻole a lākou i ʻike ʻole ai mai ko lākou wā kamaliʻi mai, ka nui o nā ʻula ʻōniʻoniʻo, conch, a me nā iʻa he nui kokoke i uka e piʻi aʻe ana, a ma ka ʻike a kekahi kamaʻāina, ua hoʻonui ʻia ka nui o nā honu kai e pūnana ana ma luna o ka moana. ʻO Tobacco Caye shore no ka manawa mua ma kahi o ʻumi makahiki. He pilikia iki paha ia no ka poʻe lawaiʻa, akā ʻike maopopo ʻia ka hopena koʻikoʻi a maikaʻi hoʻi i ke kaiaola kai.
 

ʻO ke kolu, a ʻo ka mea hou loa, ʻo ka hoʻouka ʻia ʻana o ka iʻa liona e pili ana i nā heluna iʻa ʻē aʻe. ʻAʻole maoli ka iʻa liona i ka Moana ʻAkelanika a no laila he liʻiliʻi loa nā mea ʻaihue kūlohelohe. He iʻa ʻiʻo nō hoʻi ia a ʻai i nā iʻa he nui o ka Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. I ka hoʻoikaika ʻana e hakakā i kēia hoʻouka kaua ʻana, hoʻolaha nā kikowaena kai kūloko, e like me ka Tobacco Caye Marine Station, i ka liona iʻa ma nā mākeke iʻa kūloko e hoʻonui i ka noi a me ka manaʻolana e hoʻohuli i ka poʻe lawaiʻa e hoʻomaka i ka lawaiʻa no ka nui o kēia iʻa ʻona. He laʻana hou kēia o nā ʻanuʻu maʻalahi e hana nei nā kaiāulu ma nā pali o Belize e hoʻomaikaʻi a mālama i kēia kaiaola kai nui.

Na Michael Bourie nā kiʻi

Kiʻi 1: ʻO ka ʻākeʻe pūpū conch

Kiʻi 2: nānā mai ka Reef's End Tobacco Caye

Kiʻi 3: Tobacco Caye

Kiʻi 4: Mufasa the Lionfish