There is support for the development of regulations allowing fishing for customary exchange in the Rose Atoll and Marianas Trench Marine national monuments.
The Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council met in Honolulu last week and threw its support behind the initiative.
It recommended requiring permits and reporting of numbers and species of fish
landed in these monuments.
A marine monument is a reserved area, similar to a national park.
The Rose Atoll monument is in American Samoa and the Marianas Trench Marine is in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas.
At a meeting of the Council in American Samoa back in April, a chief of Manu'a complained that residents should not be prohibited from fishing in the Rose Atoll monument as Manu'a people rely on fishing for their livelihood.
