Hawai'i Fisheries Initiative - The Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs

and the ali‘i nui; harvests also were used in
trade with other ahupua‘a. The konohiki,
relying on experts who were versed in the
habits and biology of the fish of nearby waters,
managed the ahupua‘a’s coastal fisheries
through a sophisticated kapu system, rules
based on conservation principles, religion,
and personal interest. Kapu (prohibitions)
may be placed on harvesting a fish during
its spawning season, for example. 493 Such
private ahupua‘a fishing rights (also referred
to as konohiki fishing rights) extended to
the point where the reef meets the deep
ocean, and in places where there was no
reef, to one mile seaward. 494
Fishponds: Near-Shore
Private Fisheries
Native Hawaiians built and used loko i‘a,
as well as ocean nets and baskets, in their
successful aquaculture practices, both for
freshwater and marine fish. There is evidence
that fishponds were constructed as early as
1000 A.D. through the early 1800s. 495
In 1903, approximately 2,000 fishponds
produced more than 660,000 pounds
of fish. 496 In 1993 (the most recent total
count), DLNR’s State Historic Preservation
Division reported 488 fishponds in varying
states of disrepair scattered throughout
the six major islands, with rehabilitation
efforts focused on 74 ponds on Moloka‘i. 497
Rehabilitation continues privately and
publicly, some lured by potential economic
gain from fish, shrimp, or seaweed sales,
and others for cultural revival. For example,
the Office of Hawaiian Affairs grants funds
to support reconstruction and maintenance
efforts of fishponds, such as a $99,000
grant in 2007 for reconstruction of a
fishpond wall at Kaloko-Honokohau
National Historic Park and $87,570 in 2004
for a “classroom without walls” at the
Kuapa ahupua‘a and fishpond. 498
99