DLNR HISTORIC SITES CALENDAR 1993

Fishponds of Hawai`i

 

 

Fish and other seafood were the major source of protein in the Hawaiian's daily diet. Fish remains and fishing implements that have been recovered from archaeological excavations attest to the importance of fish, either harvested from the sea or from fishponds. Likewise, fish were important in religious ceremonies, and fishing shrines are common features in the archaeological landscape of Hawai`i. Loko is the general Hawaiian term for a pond and a fishpond is referred to as loko i`a (i`a is the general term for fish).

There were six major types of Hawaiian fishpond. Loko wai was a freshwater pond. A loko i`a kalo was a combination of a taro patch and a fishpond. A loko pu`uone was a pond isolated from the sea either by a sand ridge, a lava flow, or a limestone formation. It contained either brackish water or a combination of brackish water and fresh water. A loko kuapa is a shore pond enclosed by a rock wall (kuapa) broken by a ditch (`auwai) or one or more sluice gates (makaha), The makaha was used to regulate the flow of water and it also allowed the fingerlings (young fish) to enter the pond. A loko `umeiki was a fishtrap and was similar to loko kuapa in construction. The loko `umeiki had several lanes that were walled on both sides and either led in or out of the pond. Loko kuapa and loko `umeiki were found mostly on O`ahu and Moloka`i because their fringing reef had shallow water and wave protected areas. Natural pools or ponds that are found along the rocky shores were also used and occasionally modified by the Hawaiians. A kaheka gets its water from high waves while a hapunapuna is fed by springs. Fishponds were named after the chiefs who may have had direct or indirect association with the ponds, demigods, the land unit in which the pond is located, a legendary event, or names of the specific fish raised in the pond. Ka-naha Pond on Maui was named after the chief Kanaha-o-ka-lani. Keko`ona Pond, a loko pu`uone in Hana, Maui, was supposedly named after a famous eel god.

Evidence suggests that Hawaiian fishponds were constructed as early as A.D. 1000, if not earlier, and continued to be built until the 1820s. Only the ali`i (persons of chiefly rank) would have the power and control to command the construction and operation of these ponds. Management of the pond was overseen by the konohiki (head man of the land unit), who recruited the people to construct and maintain a chief's pond. A chief's pond usually had a keeper (kia`i loko) whose only responsibility was to tend the pond - cleaning, harvesting, and repair. The kia`i loko lived in a house at the edge of the pond.

For a number of reasons, the operation of fishponds declined throughout the islands by the early 1900s. Many fishponds fell into disrepair after abandonment. Walls collapsed due to tsunami or storm waves. Deforestation upslope of the coastline increased sedimentation in the ponds. Non-native mangrove trees have choked ponds. Several coastal ponds on O`ahu have been filled or dredged as a result of increasing development.

Interest in restoring Hawai`i's ancient ponds has never been higher. There are approximately 488 fishponds in varying states of repair scattered throughout the six major islands. Initial rehabilitation efforts focused on the 74 ponds on Moloka`i. However, fishpond preservation projects are currently underway on O`ahu and Maui as well.

 excerpt from introduction

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