In the early 1700s, during the reign of Kapiiohookalani O Maui came the birth of the twin Kanaha Fishponds. The ponds were named after his two children Kanaha and Mauoni and have a span of 143 acres.
When the fishponds were being built, it is said that the line of pohaku passers was about a half mile long. The ponds were built to provide fish for the people during breeding season's kapu restriction on fishing. The ponds functioned well with the fresh spring water flowing through, out to the harbor.
These ponds served as a place for fattening and storing fish, as well as a breeding location for many birds such as the Hawaiian duck, stilt and coot, along with the endangered sphinx moth. Canadian geese often stop here as they migrate south for the winter.
In 1910, the harbor was dredged, filling Mauoni and part of the overflow ditch was filled as well. At that point, Mauoni ceased to exist and Kanaha was no longer a fishpond. The natural flow was disrupted.
Noting the history and importance of the ponds, Kanaha was listed as a bird refuge in 1951 and later became a registered landmark in 1971.
However, the life and perpetuation thereof, in these fishponds, has been forever destroyed already. Today, it serves only as a place for birds to rest. Much of the life within the pond itself, has changed with the landscape. So many generations and so much time has passed that Kanaha has been on a steady downfall since those days of old.
In 2016 NOAA published this article with some restoration plans to Kahului Harbor, but no direct plans exist for Kanaha Fish Ponds to our knowledge yet.
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