APPENDIX 



Additional Material Submitted for the Record 



Prepared Statement of High Chief Alo Paul Stevenson, Village of Fagasa, 

 Ituau County, American Samoa 



Good morning Senator Inouye, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to sub- 

 mit this written testimony to this committee today. I am a fisherman from Amer- 

 ican Samoa and a member of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management 

 Council. I support the proposed amendments to the Magnuson Act that will allow 

 recognition 01 our native fishermen and their fishing rights in Samoan waters. 



In Samoa, fishing and the sharing and formal presenting of nearshore and off- 

 shore fish to village chiefs and council members has always been a central part of 

 our culture, our identity and our very survival. Our elders and our tautai or master 

 fishermen often share stories of fishing and proverbs that tell of the cultural signifi- 

 cance of certain fish and certain types of fishing. We believe that American Samoans 

 should be the ones most direcjdy involved in managing and developing our fisheries. 

 We also believe that we Samoans should have preferential access to offshore fish 

 stocks in our portion of the EEZ should limited entry management of these stocks 

 become necessary in the future. 



What we have always known from our ancestors and elders has been confirmed 

 by outsider scientists as well. We have always fished for offshore fish like atu (skip- 

 jack tuna) and other pelagics, bottomfish and lobsters. Anthropological and histori- 

 cal documentation, including oral histories passed down through generations, have 

 confirmed for us that there was and is a water management species, including 

 tunas, shark, mahimahi, wahoo, billfish, jacks, snappers, ulua, groupers, and 

 emprerors. Samoans historically had and still have a continuing dependence on 

 these species. These fish provide nutrition, but are also important contributions to 

 the maintenance of long-held traditions, customs, and ceremonies. Fish and the abil- 

 ity to fish wisely and productively are very important to Samoans and Samoan cul- 

 ture. 



There also clearly was and is a social and cultural framework reflecting cultural, 

 social, and religious values and traditions based on fishing effort, tuatai status (an 

 accomplished fisherman), and the ceremonial presentation of certain species to 

 chiefs, pastors, and village councils. 



The Samoan Islands were first settled nearly 3500 years ago by our seafaring Pol- 

 ynesian ancestors. Archaeologists have found evidence of coastal occupations dating 

 about 2400 years ago and evidence for Samoan fishing for shark and snappers and 

 other deep water fish. While more archaeological work must be done before authori- 

 tative statements regarding continuity in ancient fishing strategies can be made, we 

 Samoans know that our ancestors fished regularly for these species. Fishing was a 

 way of life for Samoans; not only important traditions but also the smallest day- 

 to-day activities somehow related to or revolved around fishing. 



Linguistic evidence and oral history have recorded the role of fishing, fish, and 

 social relations in Samoan society. For example, many commonly used proverbs are 

 based on fishing practices, "o le pa ua sala i le maga," which can be translated, the 



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