May 3, 2006

Hawaii invests US$50,000 in traditional-modern aquaculture systems

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has made a US$50,000-grant to help revitalise the Heeia Fishpond, an 88-acre project in Kaneohe Bay that aims to combine ancient Hawaiian practices with modern commercial aquaculture techniques.

Using the OHA funding, the Oceanic Institute, an affiliate of Hawaii Pacific University, will provide about 1,000 moi fingerlings in quarterly batches for the fishpond. The moi are tagged to allow for their release and future identification.

The institute will also assist with the training of the 10 staff of Paepae O He'eia, which oversees the fishpond. The institute will also help the group develop a business plan for selling the fishpond products.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is also providing a one-year US$130,000 grant to Paepae O He'eia for the project.