The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-03-15
Fish Ponds of Hawaii

The following article on the fish
ponds of the Hawaiian Islands, by
John N. Cobb, appears in the Overland
Monthly for March, with a number of
illustrations of local fish ponds:
! OF all our new possessions, the Ha-
waiian Islands are the most interest
ing from a fishery standpoint Some
of the most peculiar methods of fish
ing are followed by the natives of
! these islands. while the laws relating
to private and public fishing rights
are unique in many respects. But the
I objects of greatest interest are the
ancient fish ponds, which are found
scattered along or near the shores of
the islands.
The time of the building of most of
these goes back into the age of fable,
the natives, for instance, attributing
the construction of one of the most
ancient, the 6eep-water fish pond at
the Huleia river, on Kauai. to the
Menehunes' a tabled race of dwarfs,
distinguished for cunning industry
and mechanical and engineering skill
and intelligence. AS they were origin
ally owned by the kings and chiefs,
1t is very probable that most of them
were built by the forced labor of the
common people. There is a tradition
amongst the natives that Loko Weko-
10 <Wekolo Pond on Pearl Harbor,
Oahu, was built about $50 years ago,
and that the natives formed a line
from the shore to the mountain and |
passed the lava rock from hand to |
hand till it reached the beach, where |
the building was going on, without |
he
AS the distance is considerably over a |
mile, this speaks well for the density |
of the population at that time
The ponds are found principally in |
the bays indenting the shores OF the |
islands, the common method of con-
struction having been to build a wall /
of lava rock across the narrowest part
of the entrance to a small bay or
blight of land, and use the enclosed
space for the pond. They We're also
built on the seashore itself, the wall
in this case being run out from two
points on the shore some distance
apart in the shape of a half circle.
Most of the fish ponds on the island |
OF Molollai were built in this way. A
few were also built somewhat interior,
and these are filled by the fresh water
streams from the mountains or by
them by means of bitches Most of the
latter are on Oahu, in the vicinity of
Honolulu. The Nomilo fish pond at
on Kauai, is formed out of an
cid volcanic crater, with an opening
toward the sea, across which a wall
has been built. A gate has been plac-
ed in the center of this wall, by means
Of which water can be let in or out,
according as the tide is flowing or
ebbing.
In the sea ponds the walls are about
five feet in diameter and are built
somewhat loosely, so that the water
IAN percolate freely. The interior
ponds have dirt sides generally, al
though few have rock walls covered
with dirt, While others have rock walls
backed with dirt. The sea ponds gen.
orally have sluice gates, which can be
"aised or lowered, or which open and
close like a door. In the interior ponds
here are generally two gates, with a
space about eight feet square between
hem. Each gate has a small door,
which usually slides up or down.
When the tide is coming in both doors
ire opened and the fish are allowed I
o go in freely When the tide turns G
he doors are closed. Should the e
,wner wish to remove any of the fish, {
lie opens the inner gate when the tide T
s ebbing, and the fish run into the {
narrow space between the gates, from Y
which they are easily dipped out by
means of hand dip nets
In the sea ponds the gate is open
d when the tide is coming in and
When it turns the gate is closed. There
s usually a. small runway of loosely
'iled stones built from the gate to
distance of about ten feet into the
'ond. As the fish congregate in this
when the tide is going out it
$ easy to dip out the supply needed
or market. Seines and gill nets are
Iso swept around the inside of the
'onds at times in taking fish from
hem. and IS they are quite shallow
his is done very easily.
The sea ponds Usually contain only
he aInaama, or mullet. and the ava
n the fresh and brakish water ponds.
goldfish. chinafsh, oopu, opfa or
hrimp. carp. aholehole and okuhekuhe
re kept. Practically no attempt ar
lsh culture is made with these ponds
5esfdes the fish which come in
trough the open gates, the owner
sually has men engaged at certain
easons of the year in catching young