Hawaii is home to some of the first known aquaculture practices in the pacific with a celebrated history and abundance generated from loko IA (traditional hawaiian fishponds) throughout the islands

This two-year, $262,464 project grant from the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, under the Fisheries Development and Utilization Research and Development Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program (CFDA 11.427), supports innovative aquaculture practices in Hawaii. Kuaaina Ulu Auamo will accelerate information sharing on nursery tank systems among traditional loko ia (Hawaiian fishponds) to address declining recruitment of native fish species. The grantee will also host an outreach event on managing the invasive Kanda mullet as a potential new seafood product, with the aim of generating income for fishponds while improving nearshore ecosystems. Overall, the project seeks to enhance integration of contemporary aquaculture within the centuries-old tradition of loko ia, advancing both sustainable fisheries and community benefits in accordance with the goals of the federal grant program.

Though operators have struggled for decades with declining recruitment of juvenile fishpond species such as amaama (striped mullet) and AWA (milkfish), IT is an opportune time to enhance the integration of contemporary aquaculture practices in the ongoing, 800+ year adaptation and innovation of traditional practices. This project aims to accelerate the information exchange about innovative nursery tank systems through an existing network of loko IA in hawaii. This project also includes an outreach event focused on the invasive kanda mullet and its potential as a new seafood product to generate income for loko IA while simultaneously improving their nearshore ecosystems. As an overarching theme that ties together the workshop and outreach event, this project will generate forward-looking DIS