Loko Kuapā

Nutritious seaweed and fish can feed many, when raised in the Loko Kuapā’s grand basins.

Among all the territories in the Polynesian region, the islands of the Hawaiian archipelago were the only ones to develop a complex form of pond aquaculture. Still in use in the 18th and 19th centuries, its techniques allowed coastal populations to farm and harvest significant resources of fish, shellfish, and seaweed (limu). Hawaiian fishponds (Loko Kuapā) consisted of large volcanic or coral stone walls built into the shoreline in the shape of a semi-circle. They were only constructed on the older islands’ shores, where dense, mature coral reefs were found. The largest ponds were enclosed by walls sometimes exceeding one kilometer, which encircled areas measuring several dozen acres. Mullet and milkfish (chanos chanos) were the two main species of fish reared in these ponds, which could produce more than 350 pounds per acre annually. In addition, edible seaweed (limu) was also sown and harvested in the Loko Kuapā.