Youth fishing group completes bottom fishing activity

Twenty-two high school students completed a shallow bottom fishing activity last Sept. 26 as part of the Tasi to Table Inc.’s youth group, the Youth Fishing Club program.

The group sailed west of Saipan near Chalan Kanoa where they moved to a deeper area—“a little past the prepositioning ships,” said Tasi to Table Inc. vice president Wayne Pangelinan, who added that Tasi to Table is now called Tasi to Table Inc. after being incorporated in July.

Pangelinan said the bottom fishing activity was scheduled earlier but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 restrictions and they were able to finally push through last Sept 26.

One of the students, Jay, who is a Kagman High School junior, says that the fishing activity taught him the importance of patience with fishing. The best part about the club is getting to know how to tie the fishing line with the hooks, he added.

During their first fishing practice last March, they got to test their rods and reels and Jay was one of the few who caught a fish. He added that if the club keeps going, he’s going to recruit more people to join and learn about the importance of fishing.

Tasi to Table Inc. is a group of 50 students from all four Public School System high schools—Marianas High School, Kagman High School, Saipan Southern High School, and Da’ok Academy. The group also has advisers from each school, who helps recruit new participants for the eight-month-long program.

One of the advisors, Micah Page, who is from Saipan Southern High School and is a Social Studies teacher, uses his free time with the club to not only help students but to also learn more about ocean fishing and the activity’s different techniques.

Another one of the group’s advisers, Dan Wollak, an MHS physical education teacher, says he loves to fish and wants to share his knowledge with the students. Additionally, he grew up lake fishing and now spearfishes, and wants to learn the different techniques as well.

Tasi to Table Inc. president Gene Weaver said it has always been his desire to give back to the CNMI’s youth and now has the chance to do so with the Youth Fishing Club program. “For many years, I’ve wanted to create a program such as this. Now it’s a reality with the Tasi to Table Inc,” he said.

Weaver said that, with Tasi to Table Inc., their priority as an independent club is to educate the youth on the importance of “sustainable living through fishing,” while also using the CNMI’s natural resource, the ocean.

Weaver hopes that the students will simultaneously learn not only sustainable living through fishing and using the ocean but the value of protecting the environment for future generations.