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

Native Hawaiian
Fisheries
Management
Native Hawaiian Ahupua‘a: The original
ecosystem management system
As expressed in the creation chant,
Kumulipo, Native Hawaiians view the earth
and ocean as living entities. Rather than
being separate and distinct, Hawaiians
consider themselves physically and
spiritually related to the ocean and its
inhabitants. 489 This differs sharply from the
Western view of ocean management, which
largely views the ocean as a source of food
and wealth for human exploitation.
The Hawaiian concept of deep connection
to the marine environment is in keeping
with the traditions of other native peoples
throughout the Pacific. The Maori of
Aotearoa, or New Zealand, developed a
law of the sea:
First, that the sea is part of a global
environment in which all parts are
interlinked. Second, the sea, as one of
the taonga or treasures of Mother Earth,
must be nurtured and protected. Third,
the protected sea is a koha or gift which
humans may use. Fourth, that use is to
be controlled in a way that will sustain
its bounty. These principles still guide
the Maori, and they have drawn on
them in their recent claims before the
Waitangi Tribunal to protest, for instance,
against sewage discharges into the rivers,
lakes, and estuaries that are part of
their natural environment. The Maori
perspective is that pollution should not
be attacked ‘by seeking more effective
methods of waste disposal as is often
advocated today, but by ensuring that
any activity produces as little waste as
possible at its source.’ 490
Native Hawaiians had an intricate system
vof land and ocean management based
around geographic designations called
ahupua‘a, generally wedge-shaped areas
that ran from the mountains to the sea,
often spanning from one ridge-line to the
next and encompassing the valley and
rivers in between. 491 Under the authority
of the konohiki (an administrator or lesser
chief, given his authority by the ali‘i nui,
or the high chief of the island), the maka‘a –
inana (commoners, tenants) of the ahupua‘a
had the exclusive rights to fish in the
adjacent coastal waters. 492 Fishponds were
constructed on the coasts to supplement
the wild seafood harvests used to benefit
the ahupua‘a tenants, the konohiki,
98