roi >>> peacock grouper >>> (cephalopholis argus)
the roi is actually an introduced species to hawaii... it was originally brought from moorea, in the society islands, in 1956 with the intent of it being a source of food for hawaii inhabitants... this fish has delicious white meat that can be prepared in a variety of ways, but care must be taken as they are known to contain ciguatera toxin... roi will normally be found under ledges or in caves, cracks and holes in the reef... when approached, they will quickly swim to "hole up", but then curiously turn and face you directly usually peering out from their shelter... you have one easy shot, but make sure it is a good one because a large roi can take your spear into the rocks... getting him out can be quite a headache and in the worst case scenario will result in a tweaked out shaft...

the story... in January 04', Roy, Lin, and myself met my friend Sheldon C. on the big island... after about an hour of 4 wheeling, we got to our camp grounds near na'alehu on the southeast side of the island... the water is normally like a giant stewing cauldron for about 360 days out of the year, but for this weekend we had perfect flat and glassy conditions... the water and weather was beautiful... visibility was over 100 feet and the grounds were teeming with fish... we loaded up 3 big coolers of fish (enough to supply Sheldon's grandpa and grandma with their supply of fish for half the year)... some of the best catches were a 50 lb ulua, 10 lb uku, kalis, uhus, mu, lots of red fish, and lobsters... among the collosal catch was this prehistoric looking roi which weighed in at a whoping 10 lbs... the funniest part was that this "big boy roi" was caught by my friend Roy...