A YELLOW BOXFISH (OSTRACION CUBICUS) IN 60 FEET OF WATER OFF OF MAKENA, MAUI. SIGHTED BY DAVE FULLER ON DEC. 07, 2019. PHOTO BY MARK RAND.
With only TWO sightings of a Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) ever previously recorded in Hawai‘i, last week’s sighting off of Makena, Maui makes it one of the rarest fish a diver could see here.
Experienced Maui dive guide Dave Fuller was diving on a WWII amphibious tank in 60 feet of water on Dec. 7, 2019 when something he’d never seen before caught his eye. “It was very skittish and kept going under the turret,” he recounted. “I called over long-time dive buddy and fellow underwater photography enthusiast Mark Rand. He was the only diver in my group with a camera. After a few patient minutes and a couple shots at the subject, he nailed it. I’ve been back to the site three times in the two weeks since and have not seen it again.” At 16 inches in length it would not be difficult to see it if it were still there.
According to Reef and Shore Fishes of the Hawaiian Islands by Dr. John Randall, the two other sightings both occurred off O‘ahu – Honolulu in the 1920s and Kane‘ohe Bay (date unknown). No photos were available of either sighting so Dr. Randall had to use a photo from Indonesia to illustrate this species in his book.
The reason Yellow Boxfish are so rare in the Hawaiian Islands is because they don’t really live here. These three sightings are believed to be waifs, individuals that arrived in the islands as larvae drifting from their home range in the Indo-Pacific.
Dr. Randall also mentions that the stomach contents of seven adults from other Pacific islands consisted mainly of tunicates and algae (including Halimeda) along with a few other small invertebrates. The WWII tank off of Maui is in an area of acres of Halimeda algae.
We will update if it is seen again.
Written by Pauline Fiene. Photo as credited. Thanks to Dave Fuller for bringing this exciting sighting to our attention and to Mark Rand for getting such an excellent photo.
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Randall, John E., 2007. Reef and Shore Fishes of the Hawaiian Islands. Honolulu: Sea Grant Program, University of Hawai‘i.