Aquaculture America 2020

February 9 - 12, 2020

Honolulu, Hawaii

ECO-MIMICRY: THE ECOLOGY BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF HAWAIIAN AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS

Kawika Winter*
 
Heeia National Estuarine Research Reserve
Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
P.O. Box 1346  
Kane ohe, HI 96744
kawikaw@hawaii.edu
 

For centuries Hawaiian aquaculture systems ( loko i`a ) have contributed to sustainably supporting  a population level similar to the size that exists in Hawai`i today.  As Hawai`i attempts to regain a state of sustainable resource abundance ( `āina momona) and to be a scalable model of sustainability for the world, science can translate between indigenous worldviews and global world views to convey the underpinnings of the productivity in Hawaiian aquaculture systems.  We will explore various forms of eco-mimicry utilized in the design and implementation of  these systems—such as habitat engineering, trophic engineering, and trophic management—and how these concepts can be applied globally to address the needs of an ever-increasing human population. We will also discuss the role that community-based aquaculture systems play in building local-scale economies.