top of page
What are the life cycles of Hawaiian
reef fish?

​

All living things go through different stages of growth in their life. A fish life cycle is life stages that a fish goes through in its life. Most fish lay eggs.  When the eggs hatch, the very young fish are called larvae. These larvae move with the ocean, floating on the currents.

 

As Hawaiian reef fish grow bigger, they make their home in the reef. Some young reef fish, like the Manini, live in the tide pools or in the shallow water close to shore. Once fish become adults, they can reproduce.

 

How big do fish have to get to reproduce?

 

Different fish take different amounts of time to get big enough to have young (baby fish) of their own.

 

Female Manini have to be about 5 inches long before most of them are able to reproduce or make more baby fish. It can take a little over 1 year for manini to grow to 5 inches.

 

ʻAmaʻama take about one year to grow to reproductive size of 11 inches.

 

KÅ«mÅ« take 1½ years to grow to reproductive size of about      11 inches. 

 

 

Why should we save the BIG fish?

 

The older and the larger fish get, the more eggs they can produce.

 

A female weke ʻula, or goatfish that is 6 inches long can make 90,000 eggs once a year.

 

A female weke ʻula that is 12 inches long spawns four to five times a year and makes 45,000,000 eggs each time. That's

180 million eggs per year!

 

The eggs of larger, older fish are more likely to survive to adulthood because they are healthier.

 

Big fish = BETTER eggs.

Big fish = many many many MORE eggs.

 

Fish Life Cycles

 

Fish, like us kūmū, have life cycles. Is important to understand fish life cycles in order to conserve fish.

 

From December to July adult kūmū spawn. When we spawn, we make more young fish.

 

If you leave us alone, and don't catch us during our spawning time, then there will be more fish in the ocean.

 

If you let us get big, we can have more and more baby fish!

Answer a quiz question about fish life cycles.

bottom of page