Joined Hands Complete Heʻeia Fishpond Wall

After more than two decades of steady, community-led work, the completion of restoration efforts at Heʻeia Fishpond marks a historic milestone for Hawaiʻi. No longer surrounded by invasive mangrove, the 88-acre fishpond is a powerful example of what sustained community stewardship can achieve, and the Heʻeia Reserve has played a critical role in supporting the restoration work.

The fishpond demonstrates how ʻike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge) and contemporary science can work together. For 25 years, stewards and volunteers have chipped away at the enormous task of removing mangrove and restoring more than 7,000 feet of ancient fishpond wall. A recent event called Moʻokuapā, brought together roughly 2,000 volunteers from across the islands, and was about finishing a chapter of physical restoration while honoring these decades of collective effort. 

While the work began years before the Reserve was designated, its participation has strengthened the effort. The Reserve being part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System has allowed it to support the restoration effect through both scientific research and on-the-ground restoration support. 

“The Reserve has aligned its research with the needs voiced by restoration practitioners,” says Shimi Rii, the Reserve’s research coordinator. “Reserve-funded studies are designed to be reciprocal in nature, and explore community-driven questions, such as what the ʻamaʻama (native striped mullet) are eating; which nutrients maximize primary productivity in the smaller nursery ponds as well as the main fishpond; and most recently, how to address the growing challenge of invasive upside-down jellyfish. All of the research being conducted at the fishpond is collaboratively developed with the stewards who have worked to restore the pond, before and throughout the research project.”

Equally important are the Reserve’s monthly laulima (many hands) stewardship days, where staff and graduate students work on the Fishpond. These consistent relationships have built trust and capacity over time, allowing stewards to rely on familiar faces who can take on more complex tasks, something that is invaluable for large-scale restoration projects. 

“During the celebration, one community elder shared that he never thought he would live to see the fishpond restored,” says Aimee Sato, the Reserve’s stewardship coordinator. “Elders being able to witness the restoration within their lifetime highlighted how significant of an achievement this is.” 

“This historic event allowed us to stand in the footprints of our kūpuna (ancestors), as they did 800 years before,” says Keahi Piʻiohiʻa, Kū Hou Kuapā Project Manager. “The research and partnership with the Heʻeia Reserve allows us to understand the magnitude of these food producing systems like loko iʻa, not as a thing of the past, but as Hawaii’s future.”

As the Fishpond enters this new critical phase, the Reserve will continue to provide crucial support to ensure that this resource offers food, community connection, and cultural heritage for generations to come in Hawaiʻi. 

“While restoration may be technically ‘complete,’ the work is far from over,” says Sato. “The fishpond is now transitioning from restoration to maintenance and production.”