To the Hawaiians’ culture is a huge concept. Many normal every day activities are some how related back to their cultural roots. And one of the big parts of thier culture was the loco meiwah. We went to the Hale O Lono, a fish pond that collects fish from the sea and then keep them to ‘farm’ them and the main goal is to eventually reach a sustainable number and harvest the fish.
The Hale O Lono is a very community involved nonprofit program that teaches the young in an effort to increase the awareness of the importance of the fish species present within the pond and to connect the kids to their cultural roots. One main thing that Roxy, our tour gide to Hale O Lono, stated was that “the main difference between aquacultures and Loco meiwah (the rock pond) is the culture” and this brings people to care and better understand the importance of the Loco meiwah.
Although Hale O Lono is a hard working and determined small group of workers and volunteers they face many biotic and abiotic issues. They are constantly struggling with poachers and having structural damage from tsunamis. Which makes them rely heavily on community support by either volunteering to help fix the rock walls or to keep their eyes open for poachers. It’s a tough and demanding job but Roxy and the crew are hard at work and passionate in protecting these fish and the cultural importance of the Loco meiwahs.
Thank you to Roxy and the crew for letting us have this amazing experience. Hope everything works out with keeping up the maintainace of the loco meiwah and I hope to be visiting soon.
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