Fishpond Restoration with Ka Honua Momona

Photo by Jack Kiyonaga

Every third Saturday of the month is a community workday at Ka Honua Momona (KHM), a local nonprofit that caretakes the Ali’i fishpond on Molokai’s south shore. This past Saturday, volunteers slipped on their tabis and patrolled the perimeter of the fishpond wall, or kuapa, to repair spots where rocks have fallen.

Home to an entire ecosystem of fish, eels, rays, turtles and more in and around the ponds, the fishpond walls are built without cement, so the ocean tides and waves naturally displace them over time, explained Tiani Kawaauhau-Cook, now in her third year as executive director of KHM.

The community workdays attract all different kinds of volunteers, from local families to scientific researchers to visitors hoping to have an authentic experience. You can learn more about KHM and their upcoming community work days at kahonuamomona.org.