Fishery council discussing options
National Marine Fisheries Service director Sam Rauch from Washington, DC says it's important to obtain local knowledge from the fishing community.
By KUAM NewsGuam - The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council opened its 153rd meeting on Guam today where several representatives from the neighboring islands discussed options for mitigating military activity impacts on fishing communities and options for getting more accurate catch data information to improve annual catch limits.
National Marine Fisheries Service director Sam Rauch from Washington, DC says it's important to obtain local knowledge from the fishing community, noting, "This council really deals with the future of fishing. Fishing is part of the traditional lifestyle and important part of the culture and economy of Guam, and so this council directs how this is going to happen in the future to the extent that fishing is important and it is and they need to know about what's going on with these groups of people."
The council was established by Congress in 1976 to manage fisheries in federal waters surrounding Guam, the CNMI, Hawaii, American Samoa and the U.S. Pacific remote islands. The meeting continues tomorrow at the Hilton.