New study explores benefits of Indigenous aquaculture system restoration on surrounding fish populations

The mākāhā at Heʻeia fishpond

Check out our new paper in Ecosphere to see what PhD student Annie Innes-Gold and PI Elizabeth Madin have been working on, along with collaborators at HIMB, the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve and nonprofit Paepae o Heʻeia. 

There is a movement to restore Indigenous aquaculture systems, called loko iʻa, in Hawaiʻi. We used simulation modeling to explore the extent to which loko iʻa restoration can supplement fish population and fisheries harvest both inside the loko iʻan and in the surrounding bay. We found that increasing the area under loko iʻa management not only increased loko iʻa fish density and fisheries harvest, but also created the potential to supplement bay fish populations and fisheries harvest under certain scenarios. 

Our results support the idea that restoration of Indigenous aquaculture systems can positively impact conservation efforts and food security by increasing fish availability, both directly in the pond and by supplementing surrounding stocks. 

Up next, we will be building on this work to better understand how climate change may impact loko iʻa systems. Stay tuned!