(waves crashing) (gentle music) - Hawaii as a state is the largest consumer of seafood per capita in the nation.

(oil sizzling) Yet, of the seafood that we consume here, the vast majority of it is imported.

So, like, we're completely surrounded by ocean, and the seafood we're eating isn't from here.

That is a very bleak picture.

(truck whooshing) And I think that (door thunking) that's why I do what I do.

(gentle music continues) Everybody in the community knows Hi'ilei Kawelo is the girl that takes care of the fishpond.

I'm the executive director of Paepae o He;eia.

Our nonprofit cares for He'eia Fishpond, (gentle music continues) which is an 88-acre, 800-year-old place of traditional Hawaiian aquaculture.

(gentle music continues) I wanna restore this pond.

It's a chance for us to grow fish in a traditional fashion and keep 100% of those resources local.

(water sloshing) (fishing line whirring) We'll be lucky if we get a fish on camera.

Oh man.

Thought those guys were gonna bite.

(water sloshing) Good thing we caught this fish ahead of time.

This one.

This is a moi.

(cooler thumping) Work some camera magic.

Make it look like it's fresh.

- [Speaker] (laughing) But, did you fish those outta here?

- Yeah.

(engine whirring) (light music) (fish whooshing) (water whooshing) So, we're preparing two fish for the meal.

One is papio.

It's a trevally.

Big predator of the pond.

They get big, 300 pounds.

And the other is moi.

(fish whooshing) And both of them are predators, but both of them are awesome, delicious.

(light music continues) Part of the learning, right, gotta see what it eats.

What's he eating?

Crab, all crab.

That's why papio sashimi, it's the best sashimi.

It's all like buttery.

(gentle music) On the fish, so, this is the papio fileted, we have Hawaiian salt, pa'akai, from Kauai.

And then, that's a inamona, which is a candlenut or kukui nut, like a relish.

So, roasted.

That's a good flavor in there.

(leaves thumping) This is what we call ti or ti leaf, and it's used for everything.

But, for cooking, it's kinda like how you would use foil, but it imparts a flavor on the fish too.

It retains moisture and also kinda protective device against the heat.

And when you throw this on the grill just like this, it's called lawalu.

(gentle music continues) This is what we do from my family.

We catch he'e, octopus, year-round.

And, so, this is dried octopus.

You know, catch it, we prep it, dry it in the sun for two, three days, depending on the weather, and then we finish it either on the grill or in the broiler oven.

Just to get out every last bit of moisture.

(foil whooshing) (gentle music) (birds chirping) The estimate is that it took about 2,000 people to build this fishpond in two years.

(gentle music continues) I've invested 20-plus years of my life into this place, which I love, completely adore.

And I think that 10 to 20 years from now, the fishpond is feeding community: fish, crab, seaweed.

But it's not just about our fishpond.

Other fishponds also doing that.

(gentle music continues) Here, kids.

- Right here on the table.

- Come.

You want a whole piece of fish?

You can eat the whole thing.

You want some of this one?

- You want?

- Oh, sashimi, she wants.

- Ooh, okay.

- Mm, papio's delicious.

(gentle music continues) (rooster crowing) There's so many other places like this that are just really waiting.

They're waiting for us to like wake them up.

(gentle music continues) (birds chirping)