Opening our waters to commercial longliners

According to the Marianas Variety, a WESPAC supported commercial fishing venture is coming to the Marianas:

An investor is already inquiring about long line fishing in the CNMI, he said.

Last year, the Northern Marianas Fisheries Inc., expressed interest in a commercial fisheries project on Rota and Saipan.

The firm which also plans to work closely with the local fishermen’s cooperative, will bring two federally approved fishing vessels to the CNMI.

The local marine conservation plan recently approved by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will pave the way for the development of a CNMI fishing industry, which will include the Northern Islands’ remote fishing station project, Dela Cruz said.

This venture follows in the footsteps of Crystal Seas, the bankrupt commercial longliner that just failed on Rota.

Five minutes of your time

The month of January is coming up, and we need to do everything we can to push our Marine Monument forward. there's two things we could do to help.

1. write a letter expressing how you feel about the Monument

2. Send an e-mail to comments@whitehouse.gov

Friends of the Monument Interns

The Friends of the Monument have two interns, Emmi and Bel.  One of the tasks of the interns is to post to this blog.  They join several other adult Friends of the Monument as contributors to this blog.

Each of the contributors is allowed to post whatever they want to this blog.  The interns write their own posts and are responsible for what appears here.

Please leave comments on the interns' blog posts letting them know what you think about their work.

Supporter from Hawaii

There is a letter in the Saipan Tribute today written by Mr. William J. Aila Jr. from Hawaii.

Aha Moku who?

Much has been said about an Oct. 13, 2008, letter that was written to President Bush by a group of Hawaiians called the Aha Moku Council, asking him to not designate the Northern Marianas National Marine Monument.

This group is a creation of the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council. The Aha Moku Council is supposed to organize and consult with Native Hawaiians who represent their ahupua'a, a traditional land division system in Hawaii.

The Aha Moku Council has not yet organized, nor have they consulted with any of the Hawaiian groups representing their ahupua'a on Hawaiians taking a position on the creation of the Northern Marianas National Marine Monument and yet, at the urging of WESPAC, sent a letter, purporting to represent the Native Hawaiian's position.

The letter that states, “When you created the Papahanumokuakea National Marine Monument, it was done without the participation of Native Hawaiian people.” It further states the name Papahanaumokuakea “was the name the your administration picked for the Monument.

”This is typical WESPAC misinformation. The name “Papahanaumokuakea” was chosen by the Native Hawaiian working group of the North-Western Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council. This Reserve was the precursor to the Monument.President Clinton in an Executive Order, designated that three members of this Council should be Native Hawaiians, with one seat reserved for a Kupuna or elder. WESPAC, on the other hand, has no such requirement to have a Hawaiian on its Council.

The Native Hawaiian Working group met over the course of more than six months to consider several names for the Monument. The debate amongst Hawaiians was fierce but amiable, ultimately choosing Papahanaumokuakea. Hawaiians were at the forefront of the creation of the Reserve and continue to be consulted and have a place on the Management Board of the Monument.
The largest group of cultural practitioners in Hawaii, Ilio ula o ka lani, has demonstrated its support for the Monument by having representatives fly to Washington on numerous occasions and by attending close to a hundred meetings on the process. On one occasion, organizing a 10,000-person march on Waikiki to show support for the process.

Please do not allow the misinformation of the eight people on the Aha Moku Council, created by WESPAC, who have not consulted with Native Hawaiians as described in their organizational documents, to influence the people of the CNMI. Check out the facts, consider your needs and the future legacy that you leave for the children of the CNMI.

WESPAC has a direct state in the matter and that is the reason for the misinformation campaign. Should President Bush and the people of the CNMI approve a Monument, then WESPAC loses jurisdiction over fisheries in the Monument. For WESPAC, it's all about them, and not about you or the resources of CNMI. Don't be fooled!


William J. Aila Jr.
Wai’anae, Hawaii

My Thanksgiving

Some people don't celebrate thanksgiving, but most people have small barbecue and are thankful for a lot of things. This year went by so fast, and so much has happen to me that I'm thankful for.

On Thanksgiving Day my family and I decided to attend a Thanksgiving mass, and have a small get together at my grandmother's house. Everything went well, I remembered my older sister asking me what I'm thankful for. I had some things on my mind but it wasn't a whole list. Her questioned never got off my mind, so I decided to think about all the good things that happen to me this pass few months. I took out a piece of paper and wrote ten things that I'm thankful for.

This Thanksgiving day, I’m thankful for:

1. My grandmother survived uterus cancer, and is still recovering.

2. Auntie Ning & Uncle Ike helped me with my truck, I love you both.

3. I’m thankful to have my mom around till this very day, you’re the best!

4. My whole family supports the monument, and wears orange every weekend.

5. I collected 500 signatures on my own! Whoopee!

6. I have a job to help mommy financially.

7. I’m thankful that Laurie and Angelo educated me about the Monument; I love you guys to the maximum power!

8. I’m thankful that so many islanders support the monument.

9. Thankful to have a big family with a big heart.

10. Thankful to be around and learned new things everyday!