Introduction
Alekoko Fishpond is a cultural historic landmarkand a
nationally registered site. This inland fishpond is unique in that it is a
kuapa type pond set within and about a mile from the mouth of the Huleia
River. Usually kuapa type ponds are built along a sheltered coastline and
not within a river system.
Alekoko also has a legendary association and a historical record of use.
Since the 1970s, and afterseveral devastating natural disasters such as
the tsunami of 1946, and storm surges from Hurricane Iwa and Iniki the
kuapa walls are deteriorating. Several sections of its walls are now open
to Huleia riverflow. Uncontrolled mangrove trees are now growing on and
besides the walls. Left in this condition the significant archaeological,
cultural and historic site will be destroyed.
Potential Uses
Alekoko is still a viable fishpond. The large site is capable of fish and
crustacean culture and has a significant economic potential for its
owner. The site can also serve as an eco-tourist and edu-tourist
destination.
Already its lookout point serves the tourist as well as the local
population with a fine scenic destination.
Restoration Efforts
There are several areas that needs work at the fishpond:
1. The kuapa wall must be repaired.
2. The mangrove along side the wall must be removed.
3. The mangrove within the fishpond must be partially removed and the
remaining maintained.
4. The fishpond must be dredged to a depth of 3-5 feet.
5. Structures for holding equipment and supplies must be constructed.
6. All makaha should be checked and repaired if necessary.
Repairing the Kuapa
The
kuapa or major seawall of Alekoko is constructed on a natural berm of an
old levee formed by the meandering Huleia river. This meandering caused an
oxbow "lake" to form. The levee was slightly above the rivers water table
so that the native Hawaiians built a stone wall on it. Since stone was
not very abundant, the builders used mud and silt from the river to built
the wall. Stones were often set as edging to prevent erosion by the
river. Later during its use, the Hawaiians simply used dredged mud from
within the pond and piled it on the existing kuapa wall. In some places
the walls of dirt is over 6 to 7 feet high and over 10-15 feet wide.
To
repair large breeches of this wall, I suggest producing mangrove logs ;
pounding sections into the levee to establish two lines of parallel
vertical posts . These two vertical posts will be used to hold horizontal
mangrove trunks forming a wall of horizontally placed timbers. Two rows
parallel with each other and about 5-6 feet apart will be the core of the
newly repaired wall section. Once the two wall of timbers are stacked,
dredging from the pond can begin and silt can be poured between the two
walls. Once this is done, the silt-mud core will form a solid path that
closes the breech of a wall section. Stones can then be placed alongside
of the
wall
adding to the strength of the wall. The work continues until all the
breeches are closed.
This
process uses mangrove timber and mud-silt which already exists at the
site. Only stone need be gathered to fortify the wall sides.
Mangrove Removal and Maintenance
Mangrove once growing is a most difficult plant to remove. Its
octopus-like root system anchor and intertwine itself solidly into the
ground.
Two
forms of removal are suggested. The first is the simplest. This involves
simply pulling out the young mangrove seedlings as they begin to anchor
themselves into the silt. This is a continuous job but a necessary one.
The second is the cutting of the tree using chain-saws. The sawed tree can
be hauled to a large cleared flat area where all the branches and limbs
are removed. These can be put into a shredder to produce mulch . The
remaining wood can be sawed to length and dried and eventually used to
make the wall for the breeched-wall repair. Large mangrove timber,
air-dried is a very hard wood which can be used for fence-posts. The
stripped bark yields a shellac like brown varnish.
Where the trees are young, they could be easily chained and pulled by a
tractor. I would recommend this method within the pond only and conducted
only when the tide is at its ebb. The disturbed silt will drain out of the
fishpond producing a miniature dredging process. However, this method can
only be used when only two or three trees are pulled per day. Wholesale
pulling will discharge large amounts of silt into Huleia.
I
would not recommend the removal of all the mangrove within the fishpond as
a few of the trees form an ideal protective environment for aquatic life.
Mangrove swamps are known to increase the aquatic productivity of an area
but then strict control of their growth and spread must be maintained.
Mangrove on the fishpond walls and alongside must be removed by cutting.
Because of the value of mangrove perhaps a canal cleared of mangrove can
be maintained between the kuapa wall and the Huleia River. This canal will
isolate the kuapa wall and even protect the walls from the threat of
flooding by the river. The mangrove here will serve as a buffer for the
wall but will not be allowed to grow on or near the wall.
Dredging
The
most efficient depth of a fishpond is dependent on the water clarity of
the river. Since Huleia carries a large silt load and the river tends to
be murky, the average depth of the fishpond should be around 3 to 5 feet
deep. This depth allows sunlight to penetrate and permit the bottom algae
growth. Presently the pond is silting at an alarming rate. This is because
the wall is breached in several places. At low tide nearly a third of the
pond is only a few inches below water. Shallow depth of water from
silting will warm the water and providing a poor environment for aquatic
life to thrive.
Dredging was a continuous process in ancient times. Today, suction pumps
on a raft can easily accomplish the task. Because of the large size of the
pond, the dredging job will be time-consuming and tedious. The problem
will be to pump the silt to a location via hoses and then to filter the
sediments, dry and store it. Once stored the material can be trucked away
as landfill.
Dredging will improve the water quality within the pond, improve
circulation and increase the aquatic life within.
Structures
Structures are needed to store boats, pumps, hoses, cutting equipment,
shredders, tractors, etc. Since these equipment are expensive, maintenance
is mandatory for an efficient job at the site.
Makaha
Makaha is the channel openings that allow water to pass from the river
into and out-of the fishpond . The canals also serve to attract fish when
the tide begins to flow into the pond. These are the times when
harvesting is a simple task. These canals and gates must be properly
maintained. If the gates are broken, fish will leave the pond as well
allowing predator fish to flow into the pond.
Aquacultural Potential
Alekoko Fishpond can be reused to grow mullet, moi, awa, shrimp and Samoan
crabs. Frogs can be grown in the existing side ponds. One of the big
problems for the fishpond is to eradicate the common tilapia which feed on
the fry of the valued fishes. Continuous netting and clearing will be
necessary.
The
fishpond has a good solid dirt-wall which effectively stops any fish fry
from entering. The problem areas will be the makaha-gate-grates which
allow predator fry and tilapia to enter. A rewiring of the gates and
grates will be necessary to reduce the size of the wire mesh as well as to
establish a series of gate-grates to further reduce introduction of
unwanted fish fry.
The
fishpond could also be sectioned by rings or row-walls of fine mesh wire
to isolate portions of the pond for certain types of fish and crustacean
growth. Again mangrove stakes and wire-mesh strung between them will form
sections which can be removed and replaced over time. The soft
sandy-silt-mud allows mangrove stakes to be easily pounded into it. The
mangrove stakes will not grow into trees.
The fishpond could yield a good
supply of fish for the Kauai and Oahu market . Besides the obvious
aquatic economic potential, the site can be used for Ed-utourism-Eco-tourism
as well as a valued aquacultural research station
|
