June 2026 Aloha+ Workday

To spotlight the Aloha+ Goal of Local Food Production and Consumption, and in conjunction with World Oceans Month, the June Aloha+ Workday was hosted in partnership with Kauaʻi Sea Farm.

Kauaʻi Sea Farm is a Kānaka-owned family business that stewards Nōmilu Fishpond, a wahi pana — a sacred, celebrated, and storied place rich in historical and spiritual significance. This 20-acre loko iʻa is located on Kauaʻi’s southwest shore, within an ʻili kūpono historically dedicated to sustaining the aliʻi and renowned throughout the islands for producing the finest iʻa.

Today, Kauaʻi Sea Farm, Hoʻomalu Ke Kai, and Onōmilu steward the fishpond by removing invasive mangroves and restoring the fishpond ecosystem, allowing native species to return. During the workday, volunteers weeded invasive haole koa, obscure morning glory, and fire-prone guinea grass to strengthen the sandbanks surrounding the loko iʻa and clear space for future kalo and ʻuala planting as part of a broader ahupuaʻa restoration system.

Fully off-grid, Kauaʻi Sea Farm is powered by solar panels and sunflower-derived biofuel. The farm also hosts a breeding facility for sea cucumbers and limu, and supports the Kauaʻi Coral Restoration Nursery facility for coral microfragmentation and outplanting.

One of the biggest challenges to shellfish aquaculture in Hawaiʻi is navigating regulatory constraints around bringing products directly to consumers, so Kauaʻi Sea Farm brings its seafood to market through local restaurants. Support Kauaʻi Sea Farm by trying their locally-produced seafood at Roy Yamaguchi restaurants across the islands, and mālama the Nōmilu Fishpond by attending a community workday hosted by Hoʻomalu Ke Kai and Onōmilu on the second Saturday of each month.