CONTEXTUALIZING STEM FOR A NEW GENERATION OF ?AINA-CONSCIOUS LEADERS: USING GENETIC BARCODING TECHNIQUES TO IDENTIFY CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES TO A NATIVE HAWAIIAN FISHPOND SYSTEM
Loko iʻa (traditional Hawaiian fishpond systems) continue to function as managed enclosures for the recruitment and grow-out of fish . Waiāhole and Kapalaho are two of many loko iʻa located on the east side of Hawaiʻi Island that are being rehabilitated in collaboration with student and community groups. Kamehameha Schools has engaged students in the und erstanding of their ʻāina (lands) by supporting learning that honors the rich cultural heritage of Waiāhole and Kapalaho , and uses contemporary STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) techniques to deepen their understanding of the evolving challenges that these important places face.
Daily observational data from April 2018-2019 on the recruitment patterns of wild pua (juvenile mullet species) into the loko iʻa of Waiāhole and Kapalaho indicate year-long recruitment of 2-6cm fish into the loko iʻa (Fig. 1) . The brackish waters of these loko iʻa support two mullet species, the native ʻamaʻama (Mugil cephalus) and the n on-native invasive kanda (Osteomugil engeli) , which are very similar morphological ly at sizes below ~6cm. Increasing densities of kanda within the loko iʻa raise concern that competition for resources with the more desired ʻamaʻama could become a problem in the near future if kanda populations continue to grow.
Kamehameha Schools, in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, identified protocols for the extraction of genetic material fro m the CO1 gene of pua in the summer of 2019. Sequencing of unknown pua against known tissue from both ʻamaʻama and kanda affirms the ability of the protocols to successfully identify the species at their smallest of sizes . A s ingle pua sample from each recruiting cohort exceeding ten or more individuals was taken beginning in January 2019 in order to inform the map of recruitment patterns (Fig. 1) with the corresponding recruiting species. C urriculum is being developed to bring the barcoding protocols into the 9th grade classrooms to have students investigate and understand a real and community-relevant challenge to their ʻāina. We expect the preliminary data gathered with these students to be available in January, and will use this data to identify our next management steps with them.
