Molokai is a relatively undeveloped island, without the coastline-oriented tourist industry prevalent on Hawaiian islands such as Oahu and Hawaii. Many Molokai residents cherish their rural lifestyle and want to continue traditional Hawaiian ways of life, rather than converting the island's economy to one dependent on tourism, Glenn says. However, Molokai also has limited opportunities for employment. An aquaculture project that focuses on growing long ogo in the ancient fishponds would satisfy a lot of different needs.
A key part of the project is the hatchery, run by Ke Kua'aina Hanauna Hou (KKHH), a nonprofit organization that develops aquaculture enterprises for coastal residents. In KKHH's hatchery tanks, algal spores are allowed to settle onto rocks or coral chips and start growing. Then those rocks or chunks of coral are given away to the farmers so they can start their own plot of long ogo. Farmers can have a load of seaweed-covered rocks delivered by pickup.
Glenn says the farmer's next step would be "put 'em out and start a little patch of it and that would be your little patch to harvest and tend." The starter plants can be grown in a variety of places: an ancient fishpond in the ocean, a land-locked fishpond or even in the effluent runoff ditch from a shrimp-farming operation. The little plots of long ogo that are grown in the ocean release spores periodically, thereby replenishing the natural population.
"This is actually repopulating the reef," says Nelson, a senior research scientist at ERL whose primary research focus is the Molokai project.
Long ogo is eaten fresh and often combined with other foods. Glenn says, "It's crunchy and slightly salty, like a pickle without the vinegar taste." One of his favorite long ogo dishes is ahi poke, a Hawaiian dish like sushi that combines cubes of fresh, raw tuna, pine nuts, chopped ogo
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30-Jan-2004