Yes, we have reason to be optimistic about restoring many of our loko i‘a, or Hawaiian fishponds that exist throughout Hawaii. The streamlined restoration permitting process supported by the Ige administration and reported on recently in the Honolulu Star- Advertiser will continue to spur the efforts of the many individuals and communities across the islands interested in reviving these unique aquaculture systems that were once so important to feeding and connecting people in Hawaii. And they can be again.

The Hui Malama Loko I‘a (Hui) is a growing network of fishpond practitioners and organizations from across Hawaii. Of the 488 fishpond sites identified in the last statewide survey, many are very degraded and sometimes completely beyond repair or unrecognizable as fishponds. However, there are communities and stewardship groups who want to revive the integrity and productivity of the sites that are partially intact.

The Hui was formed in 2004 for practitioners to empower each other and leverage their skills, knowledge and resources related to restoration and management of loko i‘a. In 2013, Kua‘aina Ulu ‘Auamo (KUA) received a grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Conservation International’s Hawaii Fish Trust to support the Hui in building its operational structure and overall capacity.

Over the years, the number of participants and fishponds represented in the Hui has increased. The network currently includes over 60 fishponds and complexes. The Hui is driven by loko i‘a practitioners, and KUA will continue to facilitate their collective discussions and work.

We are going through a period of heightened urgency about sustainability. We are looking at our leaders through the lens of their capacity and readiness to tap more productively into the wisdom of Hawaiian stewardship practices. Both our leaders and the public need to appreciate how important loko i‘a are as components of the ahupua‘a (traditional land stewardship framework) that contribute to a healthy and robust food system.

While there are different types of loko i‘a, they were all developed to optimize natural patterns of watersheds, nutrient cycles and fish biology — not just by trapping fish and letting them grow, but by enhancing productive nursery and grow-out areas that also contributed to the health of the fisheries beyond the boundaries of the loko i‘a.

Similarly, other facets of ahupu‘a management also optimized natural ecosystem functions, such as the common design of lo‘i to use water from streams but then return the water back into the stream to ensure its natural flow to the ocean to ultimately support the nutrient-rich and productive estuaries essential to healthy nearshore areas.

“Loko i‘a are not just pohaku (stones), there is also education and funding; how do you assemble the pieces to make a loko i‘a that is strong?” Leimana Naki, fishpond guardian at Kahinapohaku on Molokai, asked at a recent KUA gathering. “We need all these pieces to be strong so our fish can be protected and grow, and multiply by the thousands and millions to feed our people first because we are here. Pilina is not just ‘to connect’ — it is connecting people, and also connecting freshwater and saltwater, for all fishponds to work.”

Indigenous wisdom and traditional practice give us all hope for a better future. While communities have passion and a willingness to put in the hard work, we also must look to our leaders for the courage to make government and its agencies more responsive to the ‘ike (knowledge, understanding) that people have about the places where they live and work.

Finally, doing our civic duty by exercising our vote in the general election in November, is one way to make sure that our elected leaders hear and take note of the voices of all our hardworking, dedicated grassroots communities.

Brenda Asuncion is the Hui Malama Loko Iʻa coordinator of Kuaʻaina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA).