Ualapu`e Fishpond restoration efforts stall

Kalipi envisions a self-sustainable community in the Ualapu`e ahupu`a, the way old Hawaiians used to live. He said if the fishpond restoration becomes successful, there will be plenty of fish to feed residents if harvested responsibly.

“You have to maintain it (the fishpond),” Kalipi said. “There’s no such thing as fishpond built and work out perfect.” He urged residents of the area to come together and put in a little effort.

Kalipi said the short-term benefits include harvesting the alien limu, which can be chopped and sprinkled on top of vegetables. The limu is crunchy and is sold on Oahu under the name Robusta. “There are truckloads of that stuff there,” Berkson said.

Berkson said there have been a couple attempts to revive the pond in the past through grants. But the money eventually ran out and the pond has been “basically feral for the past four or five years,” he said.

Kalipi believes the whole ahupu`a could benefit from the fishpond restoration, not just the Hawaiian families. The next meeting will be at the Kilohana Center, located in the Kilohana School on August 29 from 6-8 p.m. Don’t miss it.