UH study links spearfishing to wellness, culture, community

A new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa highlights how spearfishing—a practice deeply rooted in Hawaiian tradition—promotes not only food security but also physical activity, cultural identity and community well-being.

Published in “PLOS One”, the study was led by Lauryn Hansen, a 2023 Master of Public Health graduate and current Grau Fellow with Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, and Catherine Pirkle, professor in UH Mānoa’s Department of Public Health Sciences. The researchers analyzed data from the 2019 and 2020 Hawaiʻi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey and found that roughly one in four Hawaiʻi adults have participated in spearfishing.

Participation in spearfishing was found to be especially high among Native Hawaiians (43%), other Pacific Islanders (36%), American Indian or Alaskan Native individuals (32%), Japanese residents (26.2%) and rural residents of Molokaʻi (43%) and Lānaʻi (51%). Men were four times more likely than women to report having spearfished. All age groups reported similar lifetime engagement.

“Our findings highlight just how widely practiced spearfishing is among Indigenous and rural communities in Hawaiʻi,” Hansen said. “Recognizing and supporting activities that celebrate cultural identity allows for public health strategies that align with the values of our communities.”

The study also found that those who have spearfished were more likely to meet physical activity guidelines.

“Spearfishing is more than a sport, it’s a way of living,” said Rodrigo Barbano Weingrill, a UH Institute for Biogenesis Research scientist and lifelong spearfisher. “Especially in Hawaiʻi, where keiki learn pretty young in their lives, and they take it as more than a hobby, but a way to help their families to bring food home.”

Once widely practiced during the Hawaiian Kingdom era, spearfishing remains an intergenerational tradition in many Indigenous and rural communities. By bridging tradition and modern health strategies, the study offers a model for public health programs that are not only effective but also culturally meaningful to the communities they serve.

The study’s findings were presented at the International Society for Physical Activity and Health Congress in Paris. Related research from the same collaboration has also highlighted the health benefits of hula and outrigger canoe paddling. 

The project, in collaboration with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health and UH faculty members Tetine Sentell and Yan Yan Wu, supports the Public Health Resonance Project goal of promoting culturally relevant physical activities. It is also supported by the Chin Sik & Hyun Sook Chung Endowed Chair in Public Health Studies.