DOI/NOAA contribute $300K for AS Coral Reef Initiative

The Department of Interior and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have contributed $300,000 to support American Samoa’s Coral Reef Initiative staff positions and projects.

The donation, delivered in form of a check, was presented by the co-chair of the US Coral Reef Task Force Nikolao Pula last month during the 18th USCRTF meeting held at the Governor H. Rex Lee Auditorium.

The contribution is only one of many positive things that have come to light since Governor Togiola Tulafono and his administration made clear their stance to prioritize the conservation and protection of the territory’s coral reefs and marine resources.

The ongoing efforts are receiving strong support from ASG agencies like the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources whose director, Ufagafa Ray Tulafono announced last month their commitment to the stated goal, which includes initiating public hearings and consultations to educate locals on ways to protect the territory’s largest reef fish species like all shark species, giant trevally, giant groupers, bumphead parrot fish and bumphead wrasse - all of which are rare and at risk of exploitation.

But efforts don’t have to stop here. The Governor stresses the territory’s need to learn from all of our partners from the Caribbean to the Pacific, and that’s why he is requesting additional stakeholder representation on the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program review panel to include: The All Islands Coral Reef Secretariat Chair, a representative from the Caribbean and Pacific jurisdictions, and an international stakeholder.

The Governor is armed with a draft of the 2002-2006 Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Report for American Samoa from the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.

Currently, the Coral Reef Advisory Group (CRAG) is reviewing the report which Togiola believes is a “valuable tool” to assist local management efforts in coral reef conservation and management.

Togiola explained, “One of the biggest challenges we face is ensuring that all resource agencies support our efforts and work in concert with us. Many of our federal partners have developed implementation plans to address impacts to coral reefs. These plans assess the agency’s regulatory frameworks and consider potential changes to statutes to best protect coral reefs. I would like to challenge the USEPA and US Army Corps of Engineers to review and assess their mandates and statutes to provide more directed and stronger support to local partners in addressing their mandates to conserve and protect coral reefs.”

With the assistance of Gerry Davis and Flinn Curren, the Coral Reef Advisory Group (CRAG) has adopted a new organizational structure to guide the process of revising local action strategies. The key partners in CRAG will lead a local action strategy-working group and Togiola is confident that this new structure will invigorate CRAG and empower local environmental leaders to combat the threats facing the coral reefs.