32 



hook has been torn off at the shaft, is an expression referring to losses easy to bear, 

 just as the loss of the hook, "maga," is easier to bear than the loss of the shaft, "pa." 



Review of ethnohistories prepared by western anthropologists show other evidence 

 of the importance of fishing within our culture such as with bonito hooks. These 

 hooks were elaborately crafted from mother of pearl, turtle shell, and "fausoga" 

 bark. Bonito or skipjack tuna fishing is a complex undertaking using specialized ca- 

 noes and gear. Samoans believe that bonito is a fish of high status, a fish for chiefs 

 and the great god Tagaloa. Linguistic evidence shows that reference to bonito also 

 served as reference to chiefs. Bonito fishing and the ceremonial distribution of the 

 catch is only one example of numerous fishing rituals that are very important to 

 our Samoan culture. 



The significance of the tautai or fishing specialist also reveals the importance of 

 fishing and the sea to Samoans. Samoans made a clear distinction between author- 

 ity over the land, held by matai, and authority over the sea, the realm of tautai. 

 The head tautai of each village directed all aspects of the important bonito fishing, 

 making au the decisions, not only in bonito fishing but also with regard to other 

 fishing regulations and customs. 



The most valuable system of fishery management in Samoa today is the combina- 

 tion of the matai/tautai system of village government, as old as Samoa itself. The 

 matai system functions with each head of an extended family in a village being a 

 chief, with a high chief representing the village as a whole, and other talking chiefs 

 also selected. Together, these matai govern the affairs 01 the village. The village 

 matai and tautai are responsible for wise management of their marine resources. 

 Traditional Samoan reef management is rich in customs and taboos which control 

 who may fish on the reef (usually people from the home village), how much fishing 

 may take place, when it may occur, and so on. These measures have many parallels 

 to the precautionary approach underlying the Magnuson act, they just work on a 

 local level. 



In addition to local matai management is the more general responsibility of the 

 Division of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR). The DMWR addresses tech- 

 nically complex issues such as the impacts and variations on reefs and offshore fish- 

 eries and habitat restoration. The DMWR effectively coordinates with village man- 

 agement and achieves a level of comanagement which conserves reef and offshore 

 fishery resources. 



Since before Western contact, and until the late 1950's and 1960's, American 

 Samoa fishermen pursued tuna in offshore waters using specialized canoes and gear 

 custom-fitted to the crew and tautai. Mahimahi, wahoo, and billfish were also 

 caught on the open sea with handlines and trolling gear. Additionally, sharks were 

 noosed as recently as 1968 and continue to be caught with contemporary gear, 

 which has come to dominate most of Samoa's fisheries, Upon returning from off- 

 shore sharkfishing expeditions, the fishermen are still met by villagers who have 

 prepared for the culturally important ceremonial cutting and distribution of the 

 sharks. 



Handlining for bottomfish has been, and still is, a culturally important practice 

 of American Samoan fishermen. Bottomfish are culturally important species for for- 

 mal presentation at ceremonies and events. Lobsters also are still caught by 

 Samoans and still have important cultural and historic value both for consumption 

 and presentation at various ceremonies. 



Present fishing is sound in practice. Our bottomfish fishery, for example, had in 

 1994 a catch per unit of effort statistic known as CPUE of 89% of the estimated 

 CPUE on a virgin stock. Our pelagic fishery has had a stable CPUE in the past few 

 years, many oi our Samoan fishermen feel concerned that the crustacean fishery 

 should be protected and that all commercial exploitation of lobster should remain 

 small scale and limited to Samoan residents. 



Fulltime commercial fishermen often target specific species for certain feasts and 

 ceremonies, distributing fish to relatives and other villagers when needed. Large 

 fish when caught are often presented to the village by commercial and recreational 

 fishermen. Samoan cultural values related to the competitive expression of strength, 

 bravery, and service continue to be displayed in the effort and catch distribution by 

 all types of fishermen. Chiefs of various rank continue to receive formal presen- 

 tations of management species in a number of villages. Management species con- 

 tinue to be targeted and purchased in local markets for culturally and religiously 

 important events. 



The great majority of active commercial, quasi-commercial, and recreational fish- 

 ermen in Samoa are native Samoans. We feel very strongly that the offshore fish 

 in our waters are our fish, to be used as we decide. We would like to see our fish- 

 eries carefully developed, yet we would also like them to follow traditional and 

 modified cultural rules and customs that will ensure proper conservation and man- 



