Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 5, 1 May 1991 — ʻAi Pono, E Ola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻAi Pono, E Ola

» By Terry Shintani, M.D.

Nutrition for body and spirit

On Thursday, Mar. 28, a little-known event of possibly historic proportions occurred. A Moloka'i group known as Hui O Kuapa (loko kuapa means fishpond), headed by Billy Akutagawa, held a blessing for the opening of a newly-restored fishpond

Why was this so important in terms of nutrition? I have always been an advocate of looking at the bigger picture — the whole view of health and nutrition. This view includes not only the nutrition of the individual Hawaiian but that of the Hawaiian people as a whole. I have always been an advocate of traditional foods as a way to heal people. But in order to help as many people as possible, we must have the supply of these foods. Last month 1 described the backyard fishfarming program of the Opelu Project and how some families could become self-sufficient in some of their nutrition needs. This month I want to describe another program that is helping to move Hawai'i toward nutritional self-sufficiency on a potentially large scale. In ancient times, the people of Hawai'i were not only great kalo (taro) farmers but were also great fish farmers. On Moloka'i alone, there are over 70 fishpond sites recorded, ranging in size from two acres to 50 acres eaeh. Unfortunately, over the years, these ponds have fallen into disuse. In 1987, a board known as Hui O Kuapa was established on Moloka'i to try to resurrect some of these ponds so that the Moloka'i community as well as the rest of the state could benefit nutritionally and economically from this forgotten resource. Since many of these former fishpond sites are on state land, and there was state and county funds for aquaculture development, this program was assisted by the state and county governments. The pond was prepared with a great deal of effort, both politically and physically. There were permit processes to go through and paperwork to file. This was not an easy process as the pond targeted for revival was on conservation land. After permits were obtained, the pond had to be

cleared of mangrove, and predators such as barracuda and eels removed from the pond. A wall had to be re-built to seal it off from the oeean as the prior lessor of the pond had opened the wall so it could be used for jet-ski recreation. A holding tank for mullet and other equipment had to be installed. In all, it took over three years' hard work by a great many people. On Mar. 28, the fishpond was finally ready to open. Governor John Waihee and Mayor Linda Lingle were present. After the blessing, the sluice gates were opened and thousands of baby mullet were released into the pond and gave it new life. It is anticipated that the first harvest will be approximately 600-800 pounds of fish to be

consumed in the community and sold to other areas of Hawai'i. It is hoped that other food crops such as clams and limu will be grown in the future. It is hoped that six to eight such ponds will be opened in the next few years. We must nourish not only individuals but the people as a whole. And we must nourish not just the body but also the spirit. Efforts such as this one ,should be supported and applauded. Dr Shintani, physician and nutritionist, is the director of preventive medicine at the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. A majority of its board and its 18,000 clients are of Native Hawaiian ancestry. Dr. Shintani is also host of a radio talk show on K 108 Sundays 7-9 p.m.

A ceremony to bless and stock the 'Ualapu'e fishpond was held Mar. 28, after more than three years of work to restore the pond, at left. A restored taro lo'i is in foreground.

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