by Will McGough
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Tue November 27, 2018
In ancient Hawaii, communities constructed and maintained a method of fish farming known as the "fishpond." Using rock walls that are constructed to work with the tides and allow for the natural migration of fish into and out of the pond, past civilizations were able to create a sustainable, reliable method of seafood collection.
All across Hawaii, they are being restored and rehabilitated, reviving an important piece of history and culture. Here are a few fishponds tours you can take:
Koieie Fishpond Hawaiian Cultural Canoe Tours (Maui)
A 90-minute paddle in a Hawaiian outrigger canoe takes guests on an escorted journey of the Koieie Fishpond on Maui's south shore. In addition to the scenic, coastal beauty of the paddle, guests learn about the history of Koieie Fishpond, its construction by early Hawaiians, and the efforts to revitalize it by Aoao O Na Loko Ia O Maui, its caretaking organization.Tours are offered daily from 8 to 9:30 a.m.
Walk on the Walls of the Heeia Fishpond (Oahu)
Managed by the caretaking organization Paepae o Heeia, the Heeia Fishpond in Kaneohe Bay has made drastic strides the past few years, eliminating invasive mangrove that once covered the walls. Extremely scenic on Oahu's Windwardside, tours of the fishpond take you for a stroll along the perimeter wall, where you are given an explanation of how a fishpond functions and the plans to get it back to a place where it can provide food for the community. Tours are by appointment only.
Kualoa Fishpond (Oahu)
Kualoa's Food Tour is actually a fishpond tour. The Molii fishpond has been carbon dated at 800 to 1,000 years old. Through this tour, you will learn the role it played in food production for past civilizations - and the potential it has for the future.
Hui o Kuapa Fishpond (Molokai)
Run by Hui o Kuapa on Molokai's south shore, the Keawanui Fishpond is the largest enclosed and fully operational fishpond in the Hawaiian Islands. The goal of Hui o Kuapa is to show how food security can once again be achieved in Hawaii through the revitalization of fishponds.
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