A Practitioner-Led Approach to a Climate Change Needs Assessment of Native Hawaiian Aquaculture

Abstract

Oral traditions of Native Hawaiians (Kanaka ‘ōiwi, individuals who can trace their ancestry to the first European contact in 1778) teach us that centuries ago, Kū‘ula was the head fisherman during a time of famine on Maui (Manu, 1901). We do not know whether the famine was caused by natural catastrophe or human error and hubris. By applying his acumen in marine ecology, Kū‘ula invented loko i‘a: enhanced natural nearshore features to constrain freshwater inputs, thus promoting primary production and food for herbivorous fish. Kū‘ula’s knowledge ultimately broke the famine by enabling stable year-round mariculture.