The school is home to a bass reproduction project, with the fish intended to be introduced to Lake Wilson when they reach an appropriate size.

But an invasion of Salvinia molesta at the lake means that an estimated 2,500 bass — ready for the lake for months at 6 to 8 inches long — must remain in pools at the school, even as this year's batch of thousands of hatchlings is expected to arrive in March.

The lake, also known as the Wahiawa Reservoir, is overrun with the invasive weed that has covered nearly the entire 300-acre surface of the lake since it began spreading in November. Because the weed can suck oxygen from the water, threatening the fish population, it is preventing program volunteers from depositing the bass into the lake.

The state is trying to rid the lake of salvinia, but meanwhile the hatching facility at the school has to make room for more bass.

The bass reproduction pro-ject is part of a $90,000 program financed by the federal government and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Aquatics Division. The project's goal is to restock the lake with fish in an attempt to revitalize the lake and the economy of the former plantation town by using the bass to lure fishermen.

Volunteers are clearing out the outdoor ponds, now filled with koi, to accommodate the growing bass population. Leilehua High School is also helping out, building a 20-by-40-foot pond in its Agriculture Learning Center to house the adults.

"There was never a firm date" for the bass to be released into Lake Wilson, said James Chow, a science teacher at Wahiawa Middle School who oversees the bass reproduction project on the school's campus. "But they were supposed to be in (the lake) by now."

The school houses about eight large swimming pools filled with largemouth bass. Chow is hoping for money to build a mezzanine in the facility so it can hold more pools and tanks.

About a dozen students volunteer to feed food pellets to the fish and take care of the facilities in what has become an aquaculture research lab.

Participating in the program has prompted 13-year-old Lauren Diama to focus her science project on the salvinia in Lake Wilson. "The program has taught me responsibility," Diama said.

But Chow insists that the invasive salvinia weed in the state's largest body of fresh water is somewhat of a blessing in disguise.

He said the noxious weed has brought a lot of attention to the "river," as Wahiawa residents refer to Lake Wilson. The reservoir was once a mecca for bass fishermen, who regularly pulled out 4-pound catches. And with bass fishing a huge sport in Japan, restocking the lake may be one way to lure tourists to Wahiawa.

"When they take the plant out, people will be more conscientious of the river," Chow said. "And it's going to be beautiful."