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Huilua Fishpond

Kaʻaʻawa, United States of America

Huilua Fishpond

Huilua Fishpond, in Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park on windward Oʻahu, is one of the few surviving ancient Hawaiian fishponds that were still operational well into the 20th century. It was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1962, shortly after it had been severely damaged by the 1960 tsunami

. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 1962. The fishpond may have started as a sandbar where ocean currents met the stream mouth. A 500-foot (152 m) permeable rock seawall (called kuapā in Hawaiian) was added along the shoreline to enclose about 7 acres (2.8 ha) of fertile brackish water. The wall was about 4 feet (1.2 m) wide and stood about 4 feet (1.2 m) above high tide, with two lashed-pole sluice gates (called mākāhā) that allowed little fish in but kept bigger fish from escaping. The name Huilua, which can be translated 'join-twice', may refer to the two gates. The favorite type of fish in the pond were ʻamaʻama (flathead grey mullet), which reproduce in the ocean but can live in either fresh, brackish, or salt water. Many Hawaiian fishponds were built between about the early 1400s and early 1600s. They were especially numerous in large expanses...

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