Cub Scouts Go Holoholo

Saturday March 17th was a great day filled with lots of learning, mālama loko iʻa, and fun all in the name of teaching our keiki, and their parents too, how to interact responsibly with our ocean and its resources. Cub Scouts Pack 42 organized a learning day at Heʻeia Fishpond with the help of some friends at Pacific Islands Fisheries Group (PIFG), Pacific Ocean Producers (POP), Hawaii Goes Fishing, Moanalua HS Science Club, and Paepae o Heʻeia. For the first hour in the morning they rotated through 4 stations:

1. Types of fishing gear – fishing poles, diving gear, nets (lucky kids, they learned how to throw net!)
2. Knowing the rules and regs – a talk story session about why there are size regulations and catch limits, some science behind tagging and barbless hooks, and personal stories about being a responsible lawaiʻa
3. Knot-tying – how to tie an improved clinch knot
4. Pole casting – basics of rod and reels, how to cast, do’s and dont’s

After that was done, we spent another hour doing two mālama loko i’a projects. The first was a beach cleanup along with a discussion of marine debris and our kuleana to keep our ‘opala under wraps. Then we jumped in the fishpond and removed over 500 pounds of invasive limu. A quick bite to eat recharged everyone and then we spent the last 90 minutes going holoholo in the fishpond for predator fish. We even caught one kaku that was big enough to tag and release into Kāneʻohe Bay. All in all, it was a whirlwind of a day but we hope the experience was memorable and the families practice some of what they learned the next time they go to the ocean. Mahalo Travis, Clay, Kimi, Dean, Neil, Kurt, and everyone else who helped to make the day a success! Enjoy some pictures below!!!