When we were children, we fondly remember the times when my father and his friends would head to the reef flats and reef fronts of Fuvahmulah to catch reef fish using iron bars mounted on rounded pieces of palm wood. They went both day and night, catching fish such as snubnose rudderfish, parrotfish and oriental sweetlips. These were mostly shallow-water species, but there were also some special fish that could be caught in slightly deeper waters.
The pomfret, known locally in our dialect as Huduhuli, was one of them. According to local fishermen and elderly islanders, pomfrets were traditionally caught while targeting Kattelhi (Promethean escolar). Smaller pomfrets, however, were also caught along the reef front, locally known in the Fuvahmulah dialect as Elhevado. In those days, Huduhuli was caught using simple baited lines lowered into the reef front without any sinkers.
Apart from Fuvahmulah’s famous signature fish, Kattelhi, pomfret was also highly valued for its exquisite taste and delicate flesh.
A well-known angler from the Maldives once told me that pomfret was his favourite fish. He described it as exceptionally delicious. Today, anglers in Fuvahmulah target pomfret using modern fishing tackle, including reels and specialised rods. My friend Muttey told me that they normally fish at depths of around 400 metres using metal jigs, sometimes combining them with skirted lures. We also use Boava Vadhu for illumination. He said they typically use jigs weighing between 200 and 400 grams.
According to local fishermen and anglers, pomfrets inhabit deeper waters than Kattelhi. While Fuvahmulah’s unique deep-water drop-offs and Elhevado reef fronts are famous for yielding Huduhuli, this prized fish is by no means exclusive to the isolated southern island.
Across the Maldives, deep-sea anglers, night handline fishers, and offshore bottom-jiggers encounter pomfret along the steep outer drop-offs of outer atoll channels and open pelagic waters. Whether hooked off the deep outer oceanic boundaries of Huvadhu, the sharp wall drop-offs of the central atolls, or during deep-drop excursions across the archipelago, Huduhuli remains a rare, revered catch cherished by deep-water fishing enthusiasts nationwide for its incomparable culinary quality. Although they are caught at considerable depths, they are among the most delicate and delicious fish one can taste in the Maldives.
According to Fishes of the Maldives, published by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, the Promethean escolar (Promethichthys prometheus) has the following habitat and biological characteristics:
Habitat and Biology: Oceanic and benthopelagic. Found at depths of 100 to 750 metres. Nocturnal, feeding on a wide variety of fish, crustaceans and cephalopods.
According to FishBase (www.fishbase.se), adult pomfrets occur from shallow waters to depths of approximately 600 metres offshore.
