Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan donate $4 million to save 600-year-old Hawaii fishpond

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have helped preserve a historic fishpond in Hawaii. The couple has committed $4 million to ensure the future of Alakoko Fishpond, a roughly 600-year-old aquaculture site on Kauaʻi that had been experiencing environmental degradation and pressure from potential development.

That donation helped the Trust for Public Land buy the 102-acre property in 2021 and turn it over to local nonprofit Mālama Hulē‘ia for long-term stewardship. Importantly, Zuckerberg and Chan don’t own the land. Instead, the property is protected as a conservation site.According to a report by Resonate Voices, the nonprofit that now owns the property has plans to restore it as a working fishpond and outdoor classroom where students and volunteers can learn traditional Hawaiian aquaculture, native ecosystems, history and culture.

The site, also known as Alekoko or Menehune Fishpond, includes a 2,700-foot-long kuapā, or fishpond wall, and is the largest remaining fishpond on Kauaʻi.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was named one of Hawaiʻi’s most endangered historic places in 2009.

How Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan helped save the fishpond

The effort to protect Alakoko began before Zuckerberg and Chan's donation. Community group Mālama Hulē‘ia had already spent four years restoring the fishpond when its owner decided to sell the property in early 2021.

The group feared the historic site could eventually be lost to commercial development.The Trust for Public Land negotiated the purchase and sought private funding to close the gap. Zuckerberg and Chan provided the full US$4 million through the Chan Zuckerberg Kauaʻi Community Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.The funding covered the purchase price and transaction costs and also supported the missions of the Trust for Public Land and Mālama Hulē‘ia.

The Trust for Public Land completed the acquisition on November 17, 2021, and transferred the property to Mālama Hulē‘ia for long-term stewardship.

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan do not own the land

Although they provided the money needed to secure the property, Zuckerberg and Chan do not own any part of Alakoko Fishpond. The land is instead protected for conservation, education and community use in perpetuity, preventing it from being sold to the highest bidder in the future.The arrangement allows Mālama Hulē‘ia to continue its restoration work while keeping the historic site accessible for community activities and education.

Plans to restore Alakoko as a working fishpond

Mālama Hulē‘ia plans to restore the fishpond, surrounding wetlands and estuary. Its long-term goal includes bringing back fish and seafood harvesting while using the site to teach visitors about traditional Hawaiian aquaculture, native ecosystems, history and culture.The project also reflects Chan and Zuckerberg's broader philanthropic activity in Hawaii. Through the Chan Zuckerberg Kauaʻi Community Fund, the couple has supported local health, education and environmental initiatives, including funding for Wilcox Medical Center and a multi-year commitment to the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology.The Alakoko project gives the historic fishpond a future as both a working aquaculture site and a place where future generations can learn about Native Hawaiian traditions.