A roughly 600-year-old fishpond in Hawaii has been preserved with the help of a $4 million donation from Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan.
The Alakoko Fishpond, also known as Alekoko or Menehune Fishpond, is a historic aquaculture site on Kauaʻi that had faced environmental degradation and potential development pressures.
The donation helped the Trust for Public Land purchase the 102-acre property in 2021. The organization subsequently transferred the land to the local nonprofit Mālama Hulē‘ia for long-term stewardship.
Zuckerberg and Chan do not own the property. Instead, the land is being protected for conservation, education and community use.
The fishpond includes a roughly 2,700-foot-long kuapā, or fishpond wall, and is considered the largest remaining fishpond on Kauaʻi. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was identified as one of Hawaii’s most endangered historic places in 2009.
How the property was preserved
The effort to protect Alakoko began before the donation. Mālama Hulē‘ia had already spent several years restoring the fishpond when its owner decided to sell the property in early 2021.
The community organization was concerned that the historic site could eventually be affected by commercial development.
The Trust for Public Land negotiated the purchase and sought funding to complete the acquisition. Zuckerberg and Chan provided $4 million through the Chan Zuckerberg Kauaʻi Community Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.
The funding helped cover the purchase price and transaction costs and supported the work of the organizations involved in preserving and restoring the property.
The Trust for Public Land completed the acquisition on November 17, 2021, before transferring the property to Mālama Hulē‘ia for long-term stewardship.
Plans for the fishpond
Mālama Hulē‘ia plans to restore Alakoko as a functioning fishpond while also rehabilitating surrounding wetlands and the estuary.
The organization’s long-term plans include restoring fish and seafood harvesting and using the site as an outdoor learning environment.
Students, volunteers and community members are expected to be able to learn about traditional Hawaiian aquaculture, native ecosystems, history and culture.
The preservation project is intended to keep the historic property available for conservation, education and community activities rather than private development.
The donation is also part of broader philanthropic activity by Zuckerberg and Chan in Hawaii. Through their community fund, they have supported initiatives involving health, education and environmental conservation.
The restoration of Alakoko is intended to give the historic fishpond a continued role as both a working aquaculture site and a place for future generations to learn about Native Hawaiian traditions and the area’s natural environment.
