Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 10, 1 October 1990 — Aquaculture offers future for 'opio [ARTICLE]

Aquaculture offers future for 'opio

Hawaiian high school students participated in a week-long eamp this summer and rediscovered aquaculture as both a traditional Hawaiian activity and a modern srientific and eeonomie venture. The aquaculture eamp was a cooperative program of the Oeeanie Institute and the Na Pua No'eau Center for Gifted and Talented Native Hawaiian Children. It was held at Oeeanie Institute's Keahuolu facility amid the lava fields of the sunny Kona coast. The eamp was funded by a federal grant for Native American children with all expenses paid for participants including round-trip airfare from other islands. Graydon "Buddy" Keala, site manager for Oeeanie Institute said the intensive week of activities taught the students howsophisticatedancient Hawaiian techniques were for raising fish and other seafoods. The students learned modern scientific methods of aquaculture production, from maintaining a computer data ha'-e and monitoring water quality to using laboratory equipment and the hands-on work of animal rulture. Eaeh day there was work monitoring the opihi-raising modules and limu tanks, and the moi, hlapia, awa and mullet in their tanks and "raceways." Learning about the business side of aquacul-

ture, students enjoyed the challenge of a eom-puter-based business simulation of an opihi farm. They compressed several years' worth of business operations into a two-day period by starting up with a $150,000 business "loan." Students then purchased property, equipment and opihi stock and operated the farm. They had to manage expenses for personnel, feed and disease prevention, and raising stock to market size. During the eamp students met other Hawaiians working in aquaculture industry, explored ancient fishponds conducted experiments, met scientists

and technicians working in aquaculture. It wasn't all study, though. There was fun in visiting beaches and ponds in the Kona area, snorkeling, hiking and fishing trips, and in preparing delicious aquaculture seafood meals. Speaking at the graduation at week's end, Hawai'i Island Rep. Virginia Isbell urged students to combine their knowledge of traditional Hawaiian values with modern opportunities in manne science and economics. "You may be the very ones who become the future leaders in oeeanie studies," she said.