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COMMONWEALTH OF 



THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS 



Statement of Jesus C. Borja 



June 1, 1995 



To the extent that the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Man- 

 agement Council is preparing fishery management plans for the 

 Northern Mariana Islands, the indigenous fishing rights of our 

 people should also be taken into account. We know the Council 

 supported research to investigate and confirm these rights. We 

 commend the Council for this effort. For much of this century, 

 our people have watched as outsiders harvested the bulk of these 

 resources for their own benefit. It is past time that indigenous 

 fishers be given a fair chance to compete for these harvests and 

 other benefits of the industry. 



Section 2 of the draft bill recites a number of federal laws 

 recognizing the rights of the Native Hawaiians and the special 

 responsibilities of the United States with respect to Native Ha- 

 waiian lands and natural resources. Our Covenant with the United 

 States and our Commonwealth Constitution similarly recognize spe- 

 cial resource rights for our native peoples. Section 806 of the 

 Covenant provides that "the Government of the Northern Mariana 

 Islands, in view of the importance of the ownership of land for 

 the culture and traditions of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 

 in order to protect them against exploitation and promote their 

 economic advancement and self-sufficiency" may "regulate the 

 alienation of permanent and long-term interests in real prop- 

 erty." Article XI of our Constitution provides that all lands, 



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