council system, despite the comments of its detractors, is better 

 suited to deal with fishery issues in its geographic region as com- 

 pared with some centralized agency many thousands of miles re- 

 moved. This is particularly true of the western Pacific region. We 

 often wonder whether such a faraway agency would be cognizant 

 of and responsive to the cultures and histories in our region. The 

 community-based, fishery demonstration projects and the commu- 

 nity development quota program represent a fine-tuning of this 

 principle of regionalism. We find those amendments to be in har- 

 mony with the intent, purposes and goals of the Magnuson Act. 



I would also like to take this opportunity to briefly note our sup- 

 port for another proposed amendment to the Magnuson Act. This 

 proposed amendment was prepared by the Joint Interior Commerce 

 Working Group to review Federal fisheries policies in the Pacific 

 and is referred to as the Pacific Insular Areas Fisheries Enhance- 

 ment Act of 1995. The proposed amendment would allow for great- 

 er control of the EEZ waters by territorial and commonwealth gov- 

 ernments of American Samoa, Guam and Northern Mariana Is- 

 lands. 



The U.S. Pacific Islands currently are at a disadvantage relative 

 to their Pacific neighbors in that they are not authorized to nego- 

 tiate access agreements and fees for foreign fishing in their waters. 

 By granting this authority to the island governments, they will 

 gain more direct benefits from their resources and would be in a 

 better position to coexist with their neighbors both as competitors 

 and as partners. 



The Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council 

 supports the amendments to the Magnuson Fishery, Conservation 

 and Management Act, recognizing the rights of indigenous people 

 of the Western Pacific to participate more fully in the fisheries and 

 management of the fisheries. 



On behalf of the Council, I again thank you for this opportunity 

 to present our perspective of the proposed amendments to the Mag- 

 nuson Act. 



Thank you. 



[Prepared statement of Mr. Ebisui appears in appendix.] 



Senator Inouye. Thank you very much, Mr. Ebisui. We will re- 

 ceive testimony from each member of the panel before we ask ques- 

 tions. 



Now, it is my pleasure to call upon a very distinguished citizen 

 and leader of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Is- 

 lands, the Lieutenant Governor, Jesus C. Borja. 



STATEMENT OF JESUS C. BORJA, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, 

 COMMONWEALTH NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS, CAPITOL 

 HILL, SAIPAN, M.P. 



Mr. Borja. Good morning, Mr. Chairman. My name is Jesus C. 

 Borja. I bring you and Senator Akaka and the members of the com- 

 mittee greetings from the Governor and the people of the Northern 

 Mariana Islands. 



I am honored to testify before the committee. I have given the 

 committee my written statement. 



