If it's October, then the nenue can be expected to start spawning at Moomomi, according to the Pono Fishing Calendar, which guides the nearshore harvest at the remote bay on northwest Molokai.

The increased number of nenue, or chub fish, close to shore means the fishing will be good, but it's best "not to catch too much," said Kelson "Mac" Poepoe of Hui Malama o Moomomi, which started publishing the illustrated calendar last year as a tool to help manage the site's marine resources and ensure there's ample fish for the community's largely Native Hawaiian population.

The hui was formed in 1993 by Poepoe and fellow residents who use Moomomi for recreational and subsistence activities. "We saw the fish population going down, and it made us aware that things can happen in our lifetime if we don't do anything about it," he said.

The group promotes sustainable fishing and gathering practices based on traditional resource management principles that respect the natural rhythms of the ocean. Although there are no formal rules, and Moomomi is open to anyone, there is strong community pressure to observe hui guidelines, which include limiting lobster fishing to use of a three-piece net, and leaving the most easily accessible portion of the beach for children, the disabled and elderly to fish.

"For us as a small community, it works real fine. It's more about shaming people than making them pay a fine. When you put shame on a person, it reflects back to their family," said Poepoe, 60, a retired firefighter.

Limited access

Moomomi's resources also are protected by the single unpaved road that limits access to the beach and a launch ramp that can handle only small boats. The bay also gets a respite during the winter season when rough seas further curtail activities.

What's going on at Moomomi is a contemporary version of the konohiki system of resource management practiced in ancient times, when the strict kapu governing fishing activities and catch distribution were enforced by a konohiki, or caretaker, on behalf of the alii.

Traditional use of marine resources by Hawaiian fishers is informed by intimate knowledge of the ocean from daily life and wisdom passed down from elders, according to Alan Friedlander of the Hawaii Cooperative Fishery Research Unit at the University of Hawaii. The emphasis is on how fishing is conducted — not how much fish is harvested — so as not to disrupt basic renewal processes, he said.

Tradition unbroken

Traditional fishers take cues from tidal cycles, seasonal changes and shifts in the abundance and productivity of marine resources to decide when, where and how to fish.

The same type of thing is going on at Moomomi.

"We're constantly out there studying the ocean and checking for how it's recovering," said Poepoe, Moomomi's konohiki. "It's not us that did this. We're continuing what was left by our ancestors who came before us. It's never been broken," he said.

The hui also is doing educational outreach to help Molokai youths become good marine citizens and carry on that legacy.

Locale-specific

It's uncertain whether Moomomi's model for community-based management of local marine resources can be transplanted elsewhere, although places such as Maunalua Bay and Pupukea-Waimea on Oahu have developed their own stewardship programs. Friedlander noted the guidelines developed by Hui Malama o Moomomi are specific to that locale, and that other communities would have to devise their own plans based on local conditions and traditions.

Key to the hui's success at Moomomi is the community's shared cultural heritage and conservation ethic. Poepoe said many Hawaii residents have lost their close connection to the ocean, and broader public management of natural resources often means people feel less personal responsibility to malama the environment.

Even at Moomomi, not everyone is with the program.

"Our biggest problem is people from outside who encroach on our fishing. Pono fishing is asking before you fish in somebody else's place," he said.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.