CNMI asking US to allow foreign fishing in waters around NMI

Last week it was announced that the CNMI’s three-year marine conservation plan was approved by the federal government (See Federal Register, Vol. 73, No. 200, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008, Notices, page 61020). This turns out to be some kind of development and should be a real eye-opener to those in favor (and against) the creation of a Mariana Trench Marine National Park for a couple of reasons.

For example, a marine conservation plan is required under federal law—the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act—before the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands can ask the Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Commerce and in consultation with the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, to negotiate and enter into a Pacific Insular Area Fishery Agreement.

A Pacific Insular Area Fishery Agreement would allow foreign commercial fishing within waters adjacent to the Northern Marian Islands in the federally controlled Exclusive Economic Zone. However, before a federal license/permit can be issued and foreign vessels can commercially fish in the waters around the Northern Mariana Islands, a marine conservation plan must be approved and contain a detailed description of how the funds to be collected from the foreign fishing company will be used.

According to one local news report, the Department of Lands and Natural Resources’ Secretary Ignacio De la Cruz has stated that the CNMI’s Marine Conservation Plan contains a provision which provides that funds raised from foreign commercial fishing will be used to pay for the Puerto Rico dump closure and park operations.

In other words, one portion of the CNMI’s Marine Conservation Plan just approved plans to open up our waters to foreign vessels for fishing so that the money can be generated and used to pay for the Puerto Rico Dump closure and the proposed operations of a park over the old dump location.

To those in favor of the creation of marine national monument, this development is bad among other reasons because commercial fishing is one of the things they hoped to prevent from happening. To those against the creation of a monument (but not necessarily in favor of opening up the waters around the CNMI islands to foreign commercial fishing), this is also kind of bad because all the talk and arguments by this administration about retaining local control over these waters and helping local fishermen and not needing the federal government to protect our resources isn’t exactly true.

The bigger point appears to be: This administration is using federal law to open the waters around the CNMI islands to foreign fishing. Accordingly, it would seem that this administration is not against the creation of a marine monument because it wants to prevent the federal government from taking control of these waters. Instead, it appears this administration is against the creation of a marine monument because it wants the federal government to issue commercial fishing licenses and permits to foreign countries and companies so that money can be raised to pay for costs associated with closure of the Puerto Rico dump and the building of a park.

Protecting local fishermen and local traditions or cultural ways are not the reason this administration opposes the creation of a Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. It would appear that money is the motivating factor. By the way, the amount of funding reported in one press release to be collected by the CNMI for selling to foreign companies the right to take fish in the waters around the CNMI Islands was reported to be $11 million, which one would have to guess is to be earned over the three-year life of the foreign fishing permits and going to be shared paying for other provisions contained in the CNMI’s Marine Conservation Plan.

If you’re against foreign fishing companies from taking the CNMI’s fish, perhaps you should encourage all your elected officials to support creating a federally protected marine national park (just to be safe).