Hundreds of Samoans from all walks of life gathered at different beaches throughout Upolu and Savai'i on Saturday morning hoping to catch the elusive palolo worm.

The first rising for this month was forecast for Thursday and Friday last week and it created a buzz of excitement throughout the nation with both palolo lovers and sellers hoping to reap the rewards.

In Savai'i, some woke up as early as 3 am to pack their homemade mosquito net or cheesecloths and wade knee-length into the sea, in the hope of harvesting the worm that had risen to the surface. 

Others carved new canoes, particularly for palolo harvesting while some households all went out to sea to fish for palolo. The palolo rising was said to be moderate in most villages, where the delicacy is collected twice a year.

The first attempts to collect the Samoan delicacy on Saturday morning were unsuccessful with most people returning to shore empty-handed. But that didn’t leave the people discouraged. 

A keen 17-year-old palolo harvester, Elishama Vaueli of Faletagaloa Savai'i said he stayed up all night, so he wouldn't miss going to the sea to catch some palolo. 

"I did not go last year so I thought I would join my father this year so we can get more palolo," Mr. Vaueli said. "I don't eat palolo, but I see that everyone gets excited about catching palolo every year and I wanted to see what the big fuss is about. 

"For our family, there are only two people who eat palolo. However, every year, we get palolo and my father would store them in containers and give them to his relatives in Upolu or keep them in the freezer for his sisters from overseas. 

"I didn't catch as many palolo as anticipated. But I still managed to get some and I heard people saying they will go out again on Sunday morning."

The annual rising of the Palolo worm (Eunice viridis) is a well-known Samoan delicacy which harvested twice a year and it only emerges in the months of October and November. 

According to a statement from the Samoa Meteorology Division, the emergence of the palolo is very interesting, given that it correlates exactly with the particular moon phase and the tide. 

"The much accepted and scientifically proven prediction is the use of the moon phase where palolo emerges when the third quarter moon appears (7 days after the full moon) in the months of October and November. Palolo is predicted to emerge this year on the 6th and 7th of October and the 5th and 6th of November 2023. 

"This is due to the third quarter of the moon occurring during this period. The moon phase coincides with high tides between midnight with low tides at daybreak and according to the tide tables the low tides are around 0700hrs, such conditions are suitable for palolo rising."