User:HnlSantino/Ancient Hawaiian aquaculture

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Types of fishponds

There were four basic types of fishponds developed within the Ahupua'a known in ancient Hawaii. The four types of fishponds were freshwater taro fishponds (loko i'a kalo), other freshwater ponds (loko wai), brackish water ponds (loko pu'unone), and seawater ponds (loko kuapa).

Taro fishponds (loko i'a kalo) were usually seen inland and were used to cultivated Taro as well as grow fish, such as mullet, silver perch, Hawaiian gobies, Freshwater prawn, and green algae. Taro fish ponds were usually located close to the sea and contained surplus of fish. Fish were also able to directly enter the taro patch-fishponds from the sea through newly created artificial estuary. Fishes in these ponds thrived and was able to survive the transition from seawater to freshwater. They also helped the taro in these ponds by feeding on insects and ripe leaf stems of taro.

Loko wai are other freshwater ponds that are seen inland and usually were excavated by hand from natural depressions like lakes or ponds and were supplied from naturally created water supplies (i.e., streams, rivers, springs, etc.). These ponds contained native species of freshwater prawn and fishes that migrate from the sea and into freshwater (i.e., mullet, milkfish. etc.). Fishes in these ponds were often harvested when spawning fish moved seaward, usually during full moons in the spring.

Brackish water ponds (loko pu'unone) were seen very close to the ocean and excavated by hand from natural bodies of water that have been stranded by sea-level change, or by creating an earth embankment with mud, sand, and coral. This made a wall that separated the pond from the ocean. However, these ponds were still connected to the ocean via small canals which would allow seawater fished to enter the fishpond during the rising tide. These brackish-water ponds were very productive and was filled with many different types of species.

Seawater ponds were the "ultimate aquaculture achievement of native Hawaiians and a valuable contribution to native engineering and subsistence food production." These ponds were constructed by a seawall, usually made of coral or lava rocks, with lengths of these walls ranging from 46 - 1920 meters. Coralline algae was gathered and used as a natural cement to hold and strengthen the walls. These ponds were very diverse, usually containing about 22 species of marine life. One of the most important features of these ponds were canals that was connected directly to the sea and had a grate made of wood and ferns that sat in the middle of these canals. These innovative grates allowed for very smaller fish to enter the pond and prevented bigger and mature fish from leaving. Harvesting were usually determined by the behavior of the fish. For example, during migration seasons for fishes such as milkfish and mullet that migrate to the ocean to spawn, keepers of the fishpond would set out nets on the pond side of the grates and watch as the fishes trap themselves as they try to reach the sea.

References

• Farber, Joseph M (1997) Ancient Hawaiian fishponds: can restoration succeed on Molokaʻi? Cornell University. ISBN 978-0-9659782-0-0.
• Kamakau, Samuel M. (1992), The Works of the People of Old, Honolulu, HI: Bishop Museum Press, ISBN 0-910240-18-3.
• James, Van (2001), Ancient Sites of Maui, Molokai'i and Lana'i, Honolulu, HI: Mutual Publishing, pp. 73–76, ISBN 1-56647-529-5.
• Losch, Tracie Kuʻuipo; Kamahele, Momi, eds. (2008), Hawaiʻi: Center of the Pacific, University of Hawaiʻi Leeward Community College: XanEdu Custom Publishing, pp. 234–235, ISBN 978-1-58152-579-3