Tide and Current: Fishponds of Hawai'I (A Kolowalu Book)

By Carol Araki Wyban

Tide and Current chronicles ten years in the life of author and artist Carol Araki Wyban, during which she lived with, learned about, and came to love the fishponds of Hawai'i. In lyric prose and art, the book captures the essence of the timeless ecological truths she discovered.

The author relates her experiences from the viewpoint of an entrepreneur, but one with a deep commitment to the past and to the legacy given to us by the ancient Hawaiians regarding the use of fishponds as food production systems. Unlike other native cultures that hunted and gathered over vast territories, the Hawaiians developed renewable, sustainable, and comprehensive management of their natural resources in the islands' limited space. They were innovators who took a great step from catching fish to raising fish.

With drawings and photographs, tables and graphs, Wyban presents not only the daily routine of life at a commercial fishpond, but also an in-depth look at how the Hawaiians managed their resources, the technology they developed, and the myths, legends, and kapu associated with the fishponds. Their inventiveness has important implications for us today and for nurturing future generations.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824813960
• ISBN13: 9780824813963
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: Kolowalu Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Illustrated stories of Hawaiian Fishpond Lifestyles . . .

Rating: FIVE StarsThis well-crafted story collection clearly reflects the author's entrepreneurial experiences rebuilding and then operating a productive Hawaiian Island fishpond on Oahu's North Shore.It presents a rare combination of lyric prose and art that capture the ecological truths Carol Wyban, her family with their Hawaiian friends and neighbors discovered how to adapt to the mid-Pacific Ocean's ebb and flow.TIDE and CURRENT: Fishponds of Hawaii shares hard-won insights with practical lessons "re-learned" about both natural forces and political land use policies! Its extensive Acknowledgements begin with this savvy Hawaiian saying: "Aia ke ola ka hajna" - Life is in labor.This book reflects facts from concurrent aquaculture research done by J.A. Wyban and J.N. Sweeney which resulted in publishing a 19991 report on Intensive Shrimp Production Technology: The Oceanic Institute Shrimp Manual. The Oceanic Institute, Hawaii, USA, 158 pp.As a state-owned pond on Moloka'i, `Ualapu`e was selected by the state to be a model aquaculture project. This book describes more about this effort on p.154While profit and economic development utilizing modern aquaculture techniques are major long-term goals, equally important goals are the revitalization of traditional Hawaiian fishpond practices and the preservation of the history, culture, and values associated with `Ualapu`e." Well, fishponds are living cultural treasures. I see them as important springboards for education, because they give us the opportunity to explore the way Hawaiians used the land and water." --Carol Wyban