Popoia Island functions as a bird sanctuary for wedge-tailed shearwaters. Technically known as Popoia Island State Bird Sanctuary, these shearwaters use the island as a place to lay their eggs until they hatch.
For the ancient Hawaiians though, Popoia Island functioned as a fishing shrine. Local fisherman would bring a part of their catches to the island to offer to the Hawaiian gods in order to bless them would good catches in the future. In other words, Popoia Island has been an important place for a while – both in the past and in the present.
