Note to King Billy
Note to King Billy
I’m very happy for King Billy (Kenoi) that his recent coronation could be celebrated with such an impressive display of booming fireworks which rivaled other important world events, such as the Queen’s Jubilee in England, the end of World War II, the Fourth of July or Tinkerbell flying down from Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
Unfortunately, the mere commoners in our normally peaceful Wainaku community were literally shaken out of their quietude by this pretentious display of arrogant disdain. I hope that none of our seniors experienced any health problems due to this frightening experience.
Perhaps the greatest sin was the total disregard for how the noise affected household pets. Come on, King Billy, how about giving your subjects some advance notice that this was going to occur?
Golly, the only thing missing was the County Band on a barge in Hilo Bay performing Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks” during the blasting. It could have been appropriate but probably wasn’t in the budget. King Billy would have had to pay those fine musicians what they are really worth.
Bob Alder
Wainaku
Why sharks?
With reference to Mr. Robert Flood’s letter, “We need sharks” (Tribune-Herald, Dec. 9), I agree with the information given. It was well-written and to the point. Sharks are important in many ways. Some do feed on plankton.
Plankton are tiny marine animals and plants that drift along with ocean currents. They live near the surface and are the first link in the marine food chain. One good reason why the humpback whales come here is we do have an abundance of plankton.
Whales feed on plankton, as do basking and megamouth sharks. Other sharks feast on larger fish and whatever comes their way. But sharks also will attack whales when giving birth and eat the pups. When you see a whale slamming its tail in the water, it is to ward off shark attacks.
It is true that many people catch sharks, remove the fins for soup and dump the bodies back into the ocean for the shark to drown. But other fishermen catch sharks and fillet the bodies; the meat is then sold as fish and chips. But, keep in mind, shark meat contains mercury, which is not good for you.
With regards to plankton, it is a major source of food for many types of whales. They feast not only on plankton but on small fish and krill.
Being illegal to fish sharks for their fins, some fishermen will kill them when they are fishing because they will steal their bait. Sharks should be respected, keeping in mind that we are entering their domain. They are the ‘aumakua for some cultures, and when they approach, we should get out of their way. They, like us, will always look for something to eat.
John Gallipeau
Honomu