Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 7, 1 July 2011 — Nurturing Hawaiʻi's fishponds [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Nurturing Hawaiʻi's fishponds

By Francine Murray Loko i'a literally translated means fishpond, and Graydon "Buddy" Keala found his passion in nurturing these Hawaiian eultural treasures, often referred to as the breadbasket of aneient Hawai'i. Deep in the valley, fresh fish and kalo from Hawaiian fishponds nourished ancient Hawaiians. These freshwater ponds were called loko i'a kalo. "They were a part of the integration of aquaculture and agriculture using lo'i, because lo'i are already a kind of water system," explained Keala. "They found that they could also crop fish and shellfish in the lo'i, if they were to mound it up higher and have deeper depth." Keala's knowledge of fishponds runs deep. He ean tell you about the varying types of fishponds, such as the loko kuapā, or walled pond, eommon on Moloka'i - whieh "kind of 'half-moon' out onto the shore and actually encompass the reef." He ean also tell you about the nutrient-rich fishponds that are fed with freshwater and open into salt water, creating brackish estuaries that are among the most productive systems in the world. Before starting his own business in fishpond restoration, Keala had more than 25 years of experience, having worked on over 30 fishponds

in federal, state and private projects throughout Hawai'i. The owner of Loko I'a Consulting, Keala is considered an expert in the field of Hawaiian fishpond permitting, restoration and management. After learning about the OHA Mālama Loan for Native Hawaiian-owned businesses, Keala decided he no longer wanted to work for someone else but would like to be his own boss. So he started his one-man company, providing specialized fishpond assessments and management plans. He relocated his business and his 'ohana to Kaua'i, and obtained a second Mālama Loan to do renovations and build out an at-home office space. Unlike other home-based business owners, Keala commutes from his home office to work daily at a fishpond. "You work it, you nurture it, and the benefits you get are spiritual," he says of laboring at the site. "For me, it lifts me up. When I see a fishpond I want to go over there and help it. I don't think any fishpond is unrestorable. I think we should restore all of them because it helps the nearshore fishery. If the nearshore fishery is good then the outside fishery is going to be healthier." It is all interconnected, he explains. "We want to know how healthy the streams are that are eonnected to our fishponds. Living systems are not

just a one-track thing. Everything is kind of hinging on the next thing down the line and before you know it, you are starting to understand the whole ahupua'a. Although your interface may be at the seashore, you get to experience what is happening to the land up mauka as well as makai, at that fishpond." Keala used to be a teacher for at-risk kids on Moloka'i, where they used a 100-acre fishpond as a tool to teach students the math and sciences needed to eam their diplomas. With a vast amount of educational value in a fishpond, he explained, a wide range of subjects from hula, chants and art to chemistry, physical sciences and mathematics ean be taught in connection with Hawaiian loko i'a. While learning academics, the students gained hands-on knowledge of what kept the environment balanced and thriving, in part through traditional Hawaiian technology and culture. Keala finds it encouraging when other fishpond managers bring students to experience Hawaiian fishponds, even if it's simply for the maintenance of the ponds or removing mangrove. "Just being there, going through the experience and having your eyes open" is a meaningful experience, he says. "Seeing what the tides are doing, what the tides bring in at what time, how high the tide is and what it brings in at that height, and what kinds of fish it brings in at a foot higher," says Keala. "All kinds of things are going on at the fishpond. And it's really exciting if you sit down and just start looking around and observe. There are many educational benefits, especially for kids that want to get into environmental resource management." How do we manage our systems nowadays? "Similar to how our ancestors did, because what they did worked," said Keala. "But we need to adjust to the changes of what that has evolved to today - permits, introduced species, changes in land management use up mauka. We need to deal with all of these things. If we do it and ean show this connects to this, and this relates to this. Then hopefully, people will understand how important this is, and the value of a fishpond. It is not just something that might produce fish. It is way, way, way beyond that." ■

LAND & WATER

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AB0VE: Loko Kauikeōlani, Historic Wilcox Estate Hanalei, Kaua'i. - Graydon "Buddy" Keala Courtesy Photo. UPPER LEFT: An example of a walled pond, He'eia fishpond on O'ahu opens to the sea. - Photo: Courtesy ofKealoha Fox