Trilogy Partners With Hawaiian Islands Land Trust To Restore Fishpond At Waihe'e Coastal Wetlands

Prior to the arrival of Western explorers, Hawaiians were masters of sustainable harvest and protection of natural resources. Few resources were more integral than fishponds, which were built as part of a community effort, and in turn, sustained the community.
Many of these fishponds were built along the coast, but in places where coastal fishponds weren’t possible (due to deep water or wave-battered shores), Hawaiians constructed loko ia kalo, which were inland fishponds that also doubled as lo‘i for for growing kalo (taro).
Though the fishpond in Waihe‘e, on Maui’s northeastern shore, was built in the 1500s, it’s likely been at least 120 years since it was actively farmed or used. At peak production, this 7-acre pond (which is exceptionally large), the pond could provide hundreds of fish per year, along with about 10,000 pounds/acre of kalo.
Today, however, it sits in disrepair, with stone walls that have partially collapsed, and a freshwater connection with Waihe‘e still needs to be established.
Building a fishpond requires perseverance (not to mention, strength and patience)-and it also requires a great deal of teamwork. That’s one reason why our Strategic Planning Committee linked up with a crew from Hawaiian Islands Land Trust to help restore and revitalize the fishpond at the Waihe‘e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge.
Working together over multiple days, the crew (including some third-generation Coon family members) hauled rocks, cleared land, and helped to bring back this ancient resource that not only helps connect us to the past, but still has potential to sustainably feed communities for generations to come.