An Afternoon with Uncle Skippy Hau

By Tara Apo-Priest | Reading time: 2.5 minutes

Last December, Eyes on the Streams volunteers had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with Uncle Skippy Hau. Recently retired, Uncle Skippy was a long time aquatic biologist with DLNR's Department of Aquatic Resources and is locally considered a stream hero and native species expert. Participants had a fun and educational afternoon examining rocks, discovering life beneath the surface, and talking story with one of Maui's beloved treasures (though, originally, he is from Oʻahu!)

During our time together, Uncle Skippy shared techniques for aquatic biological surveys and stream flow estimates, and we learned to identify native stream species like Hīhīwai, Hapawai, and the various species of ʻOʻopu. Most of Hawaiʻi’s native stream species are amphidromous, spending part of their life cycle in freshwater and part in the ocean.

ʻOʻopu, Hawaiʻi's freshwater gobies, have evolved with fused pelvic fins, creating a muscular suction cup on their underside (all except ʻOʻopu akupa, a carnivorous sleeper goby in a closely related family to the other ʻOʻopu).  This allows them to cling to rocks, withstanding stream current, and also, spectacularly, to climb waterfalls. Juvenile ʻOʻopu begin the migration upstream, sometimes scaling heights of hundreds of feet, where they lay their eggs as adults. Once the larvae hatch they are carried out to sea and eventually make their way back up the streams to spawn, thus completing their life cycle.

This is one of the many reasons continuous, mauka to makai stream connectivity is so important. We have a duty to protect these creatures, the majority of which are found nowhere else in the world, as well as the opportunity for Native Hawaiians to exercise traditional gathering practices. Estuaries, of course, also serve as important nursery grounds for other marine dwelling fish and have cascading ecosystem benefits throughout the nearshore marine environment (healthier nearshore ecosystems = greater biodiversity and fish abundance!)

Large-scale stream diversions over the past century have had a habitat destroying effect for these native species, often leaving streams trickling or dry. As Uncle Skippy points out, even "restored" streams are not truly restored, with large, concrete diversion structures in place still presenting obstacles to migration paths.

Eyes on the Streams volunteer Joe Barrett was one of the day’s participants, saying:

“It was nice to go see the stream and hear Uncle Skippy talk story about everything from turtle hatchlings to ʻOʻopu and everything in between, to share what he feels is important for us as stewards moving forward, and to pass on the knowledge from the generation before us. He's one of the types of people you could sit and listen to for a long time. I appreciate his passion and all the knowledge he has to share. Not everyone gets an opportunity like that and I was really grateful to spend the afternoon together.”

We are grateful to Uncle Skippy for taking time to spend with us and share his manaʻo about the streams and stream animals, and for all that he has done to protect our stateʻs precious aquatic resources. We wish him a very happy, well deserved retirement. Mahalo nui Uncle Skippy!