132 



COMMONWEALTH OF 



THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS 



Statement of Jesus C. Borja 



June 1, 1995 



Myron Thompson, of Hawaii. The Commission decided, on my motion 

 and without dissent, to recommend that the Magnuson Act not apply 

 to the Commonwealth. 



More than a decade has passed and the Act still applies to 

 our Commonwealth. Some say we should give up, because we have 

 tried every avenue to resolve this issue for more than a decade, 

 without success. But it is not the same Magnuson Act any more; 

 tuna are now included as fish worthy of conservation and manage- 

 ment. Before, the National Marine Fisheries Service was arrest- 

 ing our fishermen while allowing foreign tuna fleets an open sea- 

 son in our waters. Now, our people are free to fish in their 

 traditional waters and the Service arrests the unlicensed for- 

 eigners. I see this as progress. At least now they know who to 

 arrest. The Magnuson Act still does not work for our circum- 

 stances. It does not allow us to generate revenues or to collect 

 the kind of data we need to build up our conservation capabili- 

 ties. 



But progress is possible. We have admired the management 

 efforts of the WESPAC over the years. The WESPAC played a key 

 role in bringing tuna into the Magnuson Act and its work on in- 

 digenous fishing rights has helped bring about the hearing to- 

 day. We also appreciate the recent enforcement efforts of the 

 NMFS and the U.S. Coast Guard. We understand the difficulty and 



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