THE FISHERIES AND FISHING LAWS OF HAWAII. 375 
does not approximate the date. As they were originally owned by 
the kings and chiefs, it is very probable that they were built by the 
forced labor of the common people. They are found principally in 
the bays indenting the shores of the islands, the common method of 
construction being to build a wall of lava rock across the narrowest 
part of the entrance to a smal] bay or bight of land and use the 
inclosed space for the pond. They were also built on the seashore 
itself, the wall in that case being run out from two points on the 
shore some distance apart in the shape of a half circle. A few were 
built somewhat interior, and these are filled by the fresh-water streams 
from the mountains or by tidal water from the sea carried to them by 
means of ditches. In the sea ponds the walls are built somewhat 
loosely, which permits the water to percolate freely. The ponds are 
arranged with narrow entrances, protected by sluice gates, which can 
be opened or closed at will. These are frequently left open when the 
tide is running in, which allows the amaama, or mullet, and the awa 
to enter freely. When the tide turns the gates are closed, making 
prisoners those which have entered. The salt-water ponds usually 
contain only the amaama and awa. 
In the fresh and brackish water ponds gold-fish, china-fish, oopu., 
opai, carp, aholehole, and okuhekuhe are kept. No attempt at fish- 
culture is made with these ponds, the young fish being captured in the 
open in the case of most of the species enumerated and placed in the 
ponds until they attain a marketable size. Large quantities of amaama 
and awa are handled in these ponds annually, especially on the island 
of Oahu. Dip nets, seines, gill nets, and scoop nets are used in taking 
the fish from the ponds; and as they are quite shallow, this is done very 
easily. The ponds are operated almost exclusively by Chinese. 
A number of the ponds have been allowed to fall into decay, partic- 
ularly on Molokai and Hawaii, while on Oahu others have been tilled 
up to meet the growing demand for rice land and for other purposes. 
The maintenance of these ponds should be encouraged as much as possi- 
ble, as they are of great assistance in maintaining a regular supply of 
fish at all seasons of the year. 
The irrigation ditches used in watering the numerous rice fields are 
also employed incidentally in raising a few of the species enumerated 
above. 
FISH MARKETS AND METHODS OF HANDLING FISHERY PRODUCTS. 
There are 7 fish-market houses, 1 each at Honolulu (Oahu). Hilo 
(Hawaii), and Wailuku (Maui), and 4+ at Lahaina (Maui). Peddlers 
with small carts also retail fish throughout the sections of inhabited 
country which are not convenient to the markets or to the fisheries. 
There is great room for development in this part of the business, how- 
ever, as the inhabitants of some of the more inaccessible villages 
