Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A NOAA workshop on the proposed national marine sanctuary is being held over the next two days, starting today, and ending on Wednesday, Sept.13. ASG is co-hosting the workshop with the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

The sanctuary proposal is concerning due to the possible negative repercussions that it will have to our economy, people and daily lives, ASG says.

Gov. Lemanu P. S. Mauga has expressed his staunch opposition to the proposal due to those economic concerns, the media release states.

ASG says it is an important issue to the community and :we ask any interested parties to please feel free to attend.”

The Workshop and Forum is open to the public, and is being held at the Gov. H. Rex Lee Auditorium. Both days begin at 8:30a.m., with Day 1 set to end at 7:30pm and Day 2 adjourning at 4:30 pm.

The following is the Agenda of the Workshop:

Workshop Goals

         •        Connect with Pacific Island communities and create space to learn about individual views concerning the proposed national marine sanctuary designation for the Pacific Remote Islands;

         •        Consider how the proposed sanctuary would benefit and/or impact Pacific Island communities with economic, cultural and historic ties to the region; and

         •        Gather information, perspectives, and knowledge from local communities and the territorial and state governments.

DAY 1: CONNECTIONS AND CONTEXT

Day 1 Objectives: Ensure all participants meet each other and understand the purpose and desired outcomes of the workshop.

8:30 - 9:00 am – Opening & Welcome

         •        Welcome - Atuatasi Lelei Peau, Superintendent, NMSAS

         •        Prayer - Reverend Leitualasa Malieitulua, CCCAS Nu’uuli

         •        Opening Remarks by Co-Chairs

         •        Honorable Lemanu P.S. Mauga, Governor of American Samoa

         •        John Armor, Director of NOAA's Office of National Marines Sanctuaries

         •        Introduction of our Workshop Facilitator Anu Gupta - Atuatasi Lelei Peau

9:00 - 10:00 am – Introduction & Overview

(Anu Gupta, Facilitator)

Introduction

         •        Purpose of the workshop

         •        Review the workshop agenda

         •        Ground rules and guiding principles

*Group Picture & Break*

10:00 am - 12:00 pm – Session 1: Understanding the Sanctuary Designation Process

Session Objective: Ensure all participants have a basic understanding of the sanctuary designation process.

National Marine Sanctuaries & the Designation Process

Kalani Quicho, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Pacific Islands Region & Brady Phillips, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

         •        What are national marine sanctuaries?

         •        Overview of National Marine Sanctuaries

         •        Monuments and Sanctuaries: What’s the difference?

         •        What prompted the sanctuary designation process for the Pacific Remote Islands?

         •        How does a sanctuary designation work?

         •        Stages, timing and opportunities for public input

         •        Goals and Objectives

         •        What are the Goals and Objectives for the proposed sanctuary?

         •        How do the Goals and Objectives guide the sanctuary designation process?

         •        Scoping Summary

         •        Public Comment Summary

         •        Coordination with government agencies

         •        Questions and Discussion

12:00 to 1:00 p.m. - Lunch

1:00 - 2:30 pm – Session 2: Perspectives from the U.S. Pacific Territories

Session Objective: Ensure workshop participants have the opportunity to dialogue with officials from the territories to understand more about the overall landscape in the region and how the proposed sanctuary designation could affect the territories.

         •        Select briefings by American Samoa and other Territories

         •        Fono Representative:  Senate / House TBD

         •        PC Mauga Asuega, Samoan Affairs:  Cultural value & importance of fishing industry to indigenous people

         •        Chamber of Commerce:  The value of the cannery and tuna industry to small businesses and consumers

         •        ODAPM / Pacific Energy:  Perspectives from a fuel supplier / terminal operator

         •        ASPA:  Starkist electricity volumes in relation to residential customers

         •        Questions and Discussion 

Break

2:30 - 4:00 pm – Session 3: Creating a Sense of Place and Understanding about the Pacific Remote Islands

Session Objective: Ensure all participants have a basic understanding of the extraordinary natural and cultural significance of the Pacific Remote Islands and who is involved in managing the area.

Overview of the Pacific Remote Islands 

         •        Overview of natural, cultural, and historical significance and connections to Pacific Islanders

         •        Past and current uses (including research, exploration, fishing, military, shipping, undersea cables, traditional voyaging, etc.) and associated benefits and impacts of those activities

         •        Other processes affecting natural, cultural, and historic resources in the Pacific Remote Islands (e.g., oceanographic shifts, climate change, marine debris, etc.)  

         •        Current management of the Pacific Remote Islands within the Monument and in the adjacent Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs)

         •        Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument authorities (Malia Chow & Brett Schumacher, NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Regional Office & John Klavitter, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

         •        Monument Proclamations

         •        USFWS and NOAA Fisheries coordinated management

         •        National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act

         •        Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

         •        Other relevant laws and regulations (MMPA, ESA, MBTA, etc.)

         •        Development of management plan PRI Marine National Monument

         •        The Nature Conservancy’s activities at Palmyra Atoll (Trevor Taylor)

         •        Air Force activities in the Pacific Remote Islands (Keith Roberts, U.S. Air Force)

         •        Pacific Remote Islands Area waters outside the Monument (Sarah Malloy and Pua Borges, NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Regional Office)

         •        Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

         •        Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Implementation Act

         •        Other relevant laws and regulations (MMPA, ESA, MBTA, etc.)

         •        Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) activities in the Pacific Remote Islands (Josh DeMello)

         •        Enforcement (U.S. Coast Guard) (Andrew Williams and Marc Stegman)

4:00 - 4:30 pm – Closing Discussions & Conclusion for Daytime session

5:00 - 7:30 pm — Public Forum Agenda

Session Objective: Host a public forum to engage community members about resource conservation issues in American Samoa and the Pacific Remote Islands.

Welcome

5:00 – 5:30 PM

         •        ASG Co-Chair (Taotasi Archie Soliai, Director of DMWR) – 5 mins 

Introduction & Purpose of the Event

         •        NOAA Co-Chair (Atuatasi-Lelei Peau, NOAA Sanctuaries, National Marine Sanctuaries of American Samoa) and Facilitator (Anu Gupta) – 5 mins

Short summary of Day 1 of the workshop – 5 mins (Anu Gupta, Facilitator)

Update on the proposed sanctuary designation process & next steps – 5 mins

(Brady Phillips, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries)

Perspectives from American Samoa – 10 min

(Taotasi Archie Soliai - ASG Co-Chair)

Overview of Breakout Sessions – 15 min (Anu Gupta)

Overview of Breakout Sessions (Anu Gupta & Group Facilitators)

5:30 – 6:45 PM – Breakout Groups (5) by topic:

         •        Commercial Fishing & Onshore Processing at Cannery:  Exploring the importance of commercial fishing and onshore processing to the American Samoa economy

         •        Economic Impacts & Opportunities: Expanding economic opportunities in American Samoa

         •        Education & Outreach: Connecting local environmental education and outreach to the Pacific Remote Islands

         •        Conservation Science and Resource Protection: Bridging local marine research and monitoring efforts to connect to the Pacific Remote Islands and other areas in the Pacific

         •        Cultural & Maritime Heritage: Exchanging stories and information about cultural and marine heritage to connect Pacific Island communities

6:45 – 7:00 PM – Each Group Highlights key takeaways & what stood out that should be considered about that topic.

7:00 – 7:15 PM – Next Steps (Anu Gupta)

7:15 – 7:30 PM – Closing By Co-Chairs

DAY 2: LIVES & LIVELIHOODS — WEDNESDAY - SEPT. 13, 2023

Day 2 Objectives: Develop a holistic understanding about socioeconomic opportunities and challenges in American Samoa.

8:30 - 9:00 am – Insights and Reflections from Day 1 (Anu Gupta, Facilitator)

9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Session 4: From Ocean to Table, Understanding How Fisheries Support Food and Economic Security for American Samoa and the U.S.

Session Objective: Ensure workshop participants have the opportunity to understand more about how commercial fishing supports the economy in American Samoa.

         •        NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (NOAA Fisheries) presentation (Keith Bigelow and Justin Hospital)

         •        NOAA Fisheries data on current fishing effort in the Pacific Remote Islands

         •        How changes in fishing effort or environmental factors (i.e., climate change) in the Pacific Remote Islands or adjacent areas may impact American Samoa

         •        Select briefings by American Samoa government

         •        ASG:  Archie Soliai (DMWR) The importance of the Tuna industry to Am Samoa

         •        Industry:  Stuart Chikami (Western Pacific) – Purse seine operations

         •        ASG Shipyard:  Carlos Sanchez – Shipyard services (operations & value to the fishing fleet)

         •        Discussion, Q&A

 12:00 to 1:00 pm - Lunch

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm –– Session 5: Lives & Livelihoods - Understanding the Socioeconomic Context of the Pacific Remote Islands for American Samoa & the Territories

Session Objectives: Share information about the socioeconomic context and an overview of available socioeconomic data.

         •        Applications of socioeconomic data in the required economic analysis to the proposed study area (Danielle Schwarzmann, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries)

         •        Socioeconomic data from the Pacific Island Territories (Charles Goodhue and Jeremey Halstead, Eastern Research Group)

         •        Presentations from the Territories

         •        ASG Department of Commerce – Economic Data

         •        AS Industry Representatives (Starkist, Tautai Longline Association)

Discussion, Q&A

         •        What information do you have or know about that can contribute to our analysis?

         •        How can NOAA get this information?

         •        Are there specific people you would like us to reach out to to discuss data availability and/or these analysis?

         •        Are there members of your community that would like to learn more about the planned socio-economic analysis?

3:00 - 3:30 pm – Session 6: Final statements & Wrap Up

Session Objective: Ensure all participants understand each other’s perspective and the next steps in the designation process.

         •        American Samoa

         •        Hon. Governor Lemanu Mauga

         •        NOAA

         •        Others

3:30 – 4:30 pm: Wrap up & Moving forward (Anu Gupta, Facilitator)

4:30 pm ADJOURNMENT