WAIPA, KAUAI — O’opu fish have come back to spawn in the Waipa Stream after dense thickets of hau bush were removed, helping to restore the water flow.
The fish are integral to Hawaiian culture, with four species of o’opu that were favored for eating and the fifth that was believed to be related to the mo’o, or lizard gods.
They’ve been missing from Waipa Stream since water diversions that came with Kauai’s development changed stream flow and things like hau bush to took over.
