Paepae o Heeia

Paepae o He’eia is a fishpond on the Island of Oahu that was constructed over 600 years ago by the residents of the He’eia ahupua’a. It is a loko kuapā (walled fishpond) and is unique because the 1.3 mile wall completely encircles the pond. The 88 acre pond is fed by He’eia Stream and Kāne’ohe Bay with a depth of two to five feet and six sluice gates (mākāhā) that control the flow of both fresh and salt water into the pond. These mākāhā are divided equally between the mauka (mountain-side) and makai (seaward) sides of the wall, to bring in salt and fresh water to a brackish environment, ideal for the cultivation of fish.

Fishponds were originally created by ali’i (chiefs) as stocking ponds to raise fish and provide for easy access to fish during the winter months when deep sea fishing was dangerous. Kua (from kuapā) means backbone or support, and is fitting since this 1.3 mile wall also ranges in width from 10 to 14 feet. It was constructed using pōhaku (basalt rock) and ko`a (coral) obtained from adjacent reefs. This unique natural resource provides fish, including pualu, moi, ‘awa, kaku, papio, ‘ama’ama, and crabs like sāmoan, mo’ala, kuhonu, ala’eke, ‘alamihi, and limu (seaweed) gracilaria salicornia, acantophera spicifera.

The friends of Paepae o He’eia are dedicated to the return of sustainability using this ancient fishpond which was considered an engineering feat in its day. If you would like to be a part of preserving this fishpond, they are always looking for volunteers to help in their restoration efforts – from scholarship recipients working off service hours to researchers to employee staff development participants. The best way to educate students about the fishpond is to involve them in the process of bringing it back to life through activities like rebuilding the wall, removing invasive limu, predator fish, and mangroves, aquaculture activities, native plant propagation, lo‘i (taro terrace) restoration, and stream restoration.