In response to practitioner desires to compile research needs for fishponds, we aimed to facilitate a year-long process to support practitioners to voice their needs, articulate their priorities, and create pathways for resilience in their places and practice. This process resulted in the first comprehensive compilation of the research ideas and needs within the community of fishpond managers, landowners, and stewardship organizations to inform adaptation of fishpond practices toward thei r resilience and sustainability in the face of a changing climate. The final assessment report is highly collaborative and co-produced, with initial inquiries directly from expert kiaʻi loko (fishpond stewards and practitioners) who are actively restoring and managing loko iʻa (fishponds) in Hawaiʻi, and refined in partnership with researchers who are experts in their own fields of inquiry and scientific methods.
This effort seeks to inform the development of future research, monitoring, and planning for loko iʻa throughout Hawaiʻi to endure dynamic and unpredictable environmental conditions. Our process and key outcomes will be presented to offer lessons learned about network-building, cultural frameworks that uphold an evolving traditional practice, and deep partnership between community and academic institutions. We hope these findings can inform decision-making and galvanize support for place-based aquaculture both locally and globally.