Working and Maintaining He'eia Fishpond

     Working and maintaining a fishpond is no easy task. There were many tasks that needed to be accomplished to ensure a healthy environment for the fish to live in. Tasks included catching pua outside of the fishpond to increase fish productivity, repairing fishpond walls, optimizing algae growth, and harvesting fish.

     When catching pua for the fishpond, there were many things to take into consideration. Mr. Yee Hee (son of Hee Kwong, a former lessee of He'eia Fishpond) shared that the pua couldn't be too small, or they wouldn't survive. Also, if the pua was the right size (about 2 to 3 inches) they took a lot of chasing to catch. Once pua were caught, they had to be handled carefully so that their scales would not be damaged. If their scales were damaged, they would die (Kelly, 1975).

     The walls of He'eia fishpond constantly needed repair when there were storms or small holes were found. Small holes were frequently caused by eels living in the fishpond walls and loosening the rocks as water filtered in and out of the pond. As soon as holes were discovered, they need to be filled with clay-like mud from the fishpond (Kelly, 1975).

     To increase algae growth, debris and old algae that accumulated in the fishpond had to be cleared away each year. Also, greater algae growth was obtained by growing certain types of plants around the edges of the fishpond to provide additonal food for the fish (Henry, 1993).

     Harvesting fish took at least three people to accomplish. The first step was to locate the fish. One method used was tapping the pole on the bottom of the pond and listening for the sound of the fish jumping. Next, fishing nets were laid out. It took two people to pole the boat quickly while one person laid out the nets from the back of the boat. The fish nets would be laid in a circular pattern and closed up before the fish could escape (Kelly, 1975).

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