Feisty Fish Loses Hawaiian Title

HONOLULU â€”  Everyone thought the humuhumunukunukuapuaa was Hawaii’s state fish. As it turns out, the brightly colored fish with the excessively long name has been dethroned.

“I was really surprised,� said Rep. Blake Oshiro, who has drawn up a bill that would make humuhumunukunukuapuaa -- also known as the rectangular triggerfish or “humuhumu� for short -- the official state fish for the islands.

The stubby-nosed, brightly striped and slightly aggressive little fish whose name few tourists even try to utter (it’s pronounced HOO-moo-HOO-moo-NOO-koo-NOO-koo-AH-poo-AH-ah) is commonly believed to be the state’s favorite.

The fish figures into tourist trinkets, broadcast commercials and a much-beloved song about a little grass shack.

Much like its name, the fish’s road to titlelessness is long and confusing.

When it was selected the state fish in the 1980s, there was a time limit on the designation.

Still, it seems few realized that the humuhumu was no longer officially the state fish until recently.

“Here’s a cute little fish,� said Chuck Johnston, editor of Hawaii Fishing News. “It kind of looks like a pig and it squawks and everything.�

Johnston is among those advocating that the fish be given the state title in perpetuity through an executive order.

Among the reasons it’s a good candidate, he said, is that no one eats humuhumu.