March 17, 2026 — With fishing communities on Guam already watching federal officials eye their waters for potential deep-sea mineral extraction, a regional fishery council is heading to three villages to ask a different but connected question: are the federal rules that govern where and how island fishers work even making sense?
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, partnering with consulting firms Lynker and The Parnin Group, will hold three public meetings on Guam in mid-March to hear directly from fishers and residents about which federal fishery regulations they find confusing, burdensome or simply unnecessary.
Sessions were set for Monday, March 16 at the Dededo Village Community Center, 319 Iglesia Circle; Tuesday, March 17 at the Sinajaña Village Community Center, 117A Chalan Guma Yu’os; and Wednesday, March 18 at the Malesso Village Senior Center, 440 Chalan Joseph A Cruz Ave. Each runs from 6 to 8 p.m., and refreshments will be provided. A fourth session was scheduled for Friday evening in Saipan.
Amy Vandehey, the council’s education and outreach coordinator, said the review targets specific federal regulations that have long drawn scrutiny, among them the Guam Large Vessel Bottomfish Prohibited Area, the structure of bottomfish annual catch limits, and the friction between federal and territorial management systems that fishers who work both inshore and offshore waters have to navigate.