A great thing for the CNMI

The Friends of the Marianas Trench Marine Monument would like to express our thanks to our friends Dr. Ignacio Dela Cruz, Secretary of DLNR; Mr. Jim Davies; and the Division of Fish & Wildlife for promoting the marine monument concept to the CNMI public.

Dr. Ignacio Dela Cruz is also a voting council member of the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council. He is the designated Wespac state official. He is a Wespac member of the Pelagic and International Ecosystems committee, the Enforcement/VMS committee, the Fishery Rights of Indigenous People committee, and the Fisheries Data Coordinating Committee. He is Wespac chairman of Program Planning and Research committee, co-chairman of the Mariana Archipelago Ecosystem. We thank him for pointing out in his latest newspaper article that millions of dollars and many jobs will be associated with the designation of the proposed MTMM in an area that currently provides no economic benefits at all to the CNMI. When interviewed on TV, he said: “There is virtually no fishing occurring in the proposed marine monument area.” Of course, he also said: “If Pew were to give the CNMI government $200-300 million with no strings attached, then, the government would entertain the idea.

The Friends of the MTMM would also like to thank Mr. Jim Davies for his vision in promoting the marine monument for the world class research center and for the educational opportunities that he talked about in his recent letter to the editor. While on Maui, last October, I visited the “world class” Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary facility in Kihei. “…The new building will provide expanded facilities for research and education programs that will enhance humpback whale protection in Hawaii. The new facility will also offer additional opportunities for education on the marine environment and provide a venue for programs and meetings. This new building will complement the existing “landmark” blue office building and mural painted education center…” The CNMI could have a similar facility devoted to the deep water life found in the deepest part of the ocean: the Marianas Trench. It would be funded through the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Sanctuaries program. Perhaps, he can enroll in NMC to study oceanography when the marine monument is designated.

And, finally, we would like to thank Sylvan Igisomar, Director of DFW, who is also the Wespac state designee for the Fisheries Data Coordinating committee, the Wespac Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Representative for the CNMI, and the Marianas Archipelago REAC-CNMI government representative. Let’s not leave out Mike Trianni and Mike Tenorio and all the rest of the Wespac gang that run DFW.

Thanks, again, for your support of the marine monument; it is a great thing for the CNMI.