Still a great thing for the CNMI

As we look to the future, this letter is in response to Oscar Rasa’s recent statements that he made in the Marianas Variety concerning the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

He said, “the economic factor for the establishment of the monument remains ‘highly speculative’ and the issue about preservation and conservation is moot.” By his comments, he seems to want what we had asked for in the original proposal; however, the final marine monument as designated was diminished in size, as were the protections to the fish, so that the economics changed and the preservation/conservation of the waters were compromised (meaning marginalized). He is right about the economics being speculative, but it always was; however, the marine monument as proclaimed is not what the Friends of the Monument had asked for and the issue of conservation is never “moot” when it comes to WESPAC’s historical failure to manage the fisheries responsibly in a “sustainable” manner. We should all be a little scared with the Governor’s pick for the advisory council, which contains all WESPAC supporters and opponents to the marine monument.

According to the economic study on the proposed marine monument, authored by University of Guam economics professor Dr. Tom Iverson, published and presented to the public in June 2008, the declaration of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument would result in several positive economic stimuli for the failing CNMI economy: (1) an increase in federal dollars, (2) an increase in research, and (3) a small increase in tourism due to the increase in worldwide media exposure.

The exploratory economic study made certain basic assumptions. Logically, one of them was that the NOAA-National Marine Sanctuaries program would manage a potential monument in the CNMI, as they were currently doing so in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands with the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Monument. This is the agency that deals with marine sanctuaries. The second was that the monument would be the largest or second largest in the world with the strongest possible protections against overfishing and other commercial extractions. Some of these assumptions turned out to be speculative, as it appears the monument will be managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it is smaller than we expected or hoped for, and it allows for commercial and recreational fishing in the areas we proposed. Moreover, the USFWS does not have much experience with marine sanctuaries, but that is what we have to work with now. In the end, it was all speculative since it is not what we and 6,000 other residents asked for when they signed the petition.

These changes in the basic assumptions by local leaders, will have an effect on the specific benefits, but the benefits will still be in those general categories. The monument will nevertheless result in more federal dollars coming to the CNMI. A visitors center is no longer a certainty, because the NOAA-National Marine Sanctuaries was left out of the language of the proclamation by negotiations and is not the manager. However, there will still be staff for management, enforcement, and education. NOAA-National Marine Sanctuaries has all these great educational curriculum; what is to become of that? It is unknown at this point how many jobs will be created because of all the changes to the original proposal and comparative studies of other USF&WS protected areas, which are mostly land-based anyway, are unavailable.

The monument will result in an increase in research, as attention is drawn to the deepest, darkest place on earth. In fact, Woods Hole is scheduled to study the Mariana Trench this year. It is sending an expedition to the bottom of the Mariana Trench using a new Hybrid ROV they have developed, which will film the Challenger Deep in HD. Agnes McPhetres calls this increase in researchers “a new type of tourist.” These “new” tourists will come to Saipan to charter boats, stay in hotels, rent cars, and can spread the word to the rest of the world what an interesting place we all live in.

There will be an increase in tourism. A few high-end tourists will undoubtedly be drawn to dive the Maug Lagoon. The reason they aren’t coming now is because they don’t even know it exists. Most of the tourists will come to Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The monument and all the free worldwide press it is continuing to generate will solidify our reputation as a beautiful tourist destination.

I would point out that several hundred favorable articles about the Mariana Islands appeared in publications around the world, from the London Times to the Washington Post and ABC News, sending untold numbers of people rushing to their world maps to find out where the Trench is located. The free advertising from the monument announcement resulted in more favorable publicity for the CNMI than the MVA could afford to buy in 10 years. In terms of marketing the CNMI, it was a home run.

Mr. Rasa noted that the local people’s concern regarding traditional fishing was addressed by the monument declaration, but added that “bottom-line” for the federal government is national defense. “The military is going to take over the place.” This is an absurd comment since, regardless of what anyone wants, the U.S. military will do what they need to do to ensure the safety and protection of the United States and its citizens.

Finally, regardless of any legacy that the outgoing president may have obtained, the benefits of having a marine monument in our backyard is, without question, a great thing for the CNMI.