Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — It is palolo season. The Department of Marine Wildlife Resources announced their prediction is set for this weekend, the 15-16 October, 2022.
Director Taotasi Archie Soliai said the full moon was this past Sunday, October 9.
“Palolo rising normally falls seven days after the full moon, so people will be visiting the shores on Saturday, Sunday and possibly Monday for some people.”
According to the National Park Services, the palolo swarm rises once or twice a year.
Samoans eagerly await this night and scoop up large amounts of this delicacy along the shoreline with hand nets.
This gift from the sea was traditionally greeted with necklaces made from the fragrant moso’oi flower and the night of the palolo was and still remains a happy time of celebration.
The rich taste of palolo is enjoyed raw or fried with butter, olive oil, add onions or eggs, — spread on toast, taro banana— or just scoop it raw from sea to ‘table’.
Palolo is the edible portion of a polychaete worm (Eunice viridis) that lives in shallow coral reefs throughout the south central Pacific, although they do not swarm at all of these locations.
This phenomenon is well known across the region and are about 12 inches long and live in burrows dug into the coral pavement on the outer reef flat.
Speaking from Apia, Taotasi asks the public to be careful around the reefs.
“I ask all palolo hunters to please be mindful of the reef to ensure that there is no damage or harm done to the reef. Safety is an utmost priority so please be safe out there, and good luck,” he said.
The Director also commented on the concerns raised by the public on the significant prices charged by the palolo hunters, whereas a small bottle costs between $20-$100 while the fist sized palolo wrapped in banana leaves (ofu palolo) normally costs $20.
“Please be reasonable.
“Making a profit is great if the harvest is plenty, but please be reasonable. Be compassionate we have our elders that are keen to have a taste of this Samoan delicacy.”
Samoa News should point out that fresh catches from the ocean, such as ‘akule’ — that were once annual celebrations — have become rare occurrences. When they did happen the catch was usually shared among villages, whose people came together to participate and celebrate their wealth. The catch was not sold, as it was considered a gift for everyone to enjoy.
Today, due to the greed or the prices being charged, —it’s been said that ‘selling the wealth of the ocean’ ensures that the richness of the catch will not return.
BACKGROUND
The Palolo according to the NPS are composed of two distinct sections. The front section is the basic segmented polychaete with eyes, mouth, etc., followed by a string of segments called the “epitoke” that contain reproductive gametes colored bluegreen (females) or tan (males).
Each epitoke segments bear a tiny eyespot that can sense light (that's why islanders are able to use a lantern to attract the palolo to their nets).
When it comes time to spawn, palolo will back out of their burrows and release the epitoke section from their body.
The epitokes then twirl around in the water in vast numbers and look like dancing spaghetti.
Around daybreak, the segments dissolve and release the eggs and sperm that they contain. The fertilized eggs hatch into small larvae that drift with the plankton until settling on a coral reef to begin life anew.
The swarming of palolo is a classic example of the coordinated mass spawning of a simple marine organism. The worms emerge from their burrows during a specific phase of the moon, but the actual date is a bit complicated.
The swarms occur on the evenings of the last quarter moon of spring or early summer.
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