DFW works with others to protect NMI’s fishery resources

While fishing regulations in the Commonwealth are being enforced, the CNMI Division of Fish & Wildlife has to deal with work limitations in its efforts to protect the Commonwealth’s fishery resources.

Speaking at the Saipan Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday, fisheries biologist Michael Tenorio said that Fish & Wildlife has formed partnerships with organizations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which provide funding and technical assistance that aid the agency in its goal to maintain sustainable levels of fish stocks.

“You got to understand that we’re also working within our limitations and we try to do what we can to improve those avenues in trying to enforce regulations,” Tenorio told Rotarians at the Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Giovanni’s restaurant.

According to Tenorio, the CNMI has four types of fisheries: pelagic fishery covers species like tuna, wahoo, mahi, and marlin; bottom fishery is composed of onaga, ehu, lehi, kalikali, opaka paka, emperor, matai, and sas; coral reef fishery consists of emperor, parrotfish, surgeonfish, snappers, goatfish, rabbitfish, jacks, groupers, mullets, wrasse, and reef invertebrates such as octopus, squids, cuttlefish, clams, and lobsters; and the deep water invertebrates like Kona crab and Heterocarpus shrimp.

Maintaining sustainable levels of fish stocks, Tenorio said, require restrictions on gear and methods of harvest, spatial restrictions, collection of fishery and biological data, conducting fishery independent surveys, and data analyses.

Tenorio said that in 2004, they conducted a food fish survey on the southern part of the Saipan Lagoon, followed by a re-survey in 2007 to determine if any changes occurred in food fish abundance.

Surveys conducted involved 125 randomly selected points between Garapan and Aguigan points using belt transect and stationary point count survey methods.

The surveys generally revealed that there was an increase in the number of fish observed, with the SPC survey also showing an increase in fish biomass.

Tenorio noted, though, that there is a need to consider and assess each species or family of fish for a more thorough study.

He also pointed out that their study is “not directly related” to the study spearheaded by Dr. Peter Houk of the Pacific Marine Resources Institute. “We have communicated with Dr. Houk and we’ve shared some of our concerns,” said Tenorio, adding that they are looking at working together to address the issues.