May 17, 2021 — Restricting access to Ritidian will mean less food for the community and threaten the island’s customs, according to Guam’s fishers.
They await final approval of a surface danger zone in the area.
“Fishing, it’s something you develop, you grow into. If you get rid of that, that’s part of our tradition that’s gone, 4,000 years of legacy that’s gone,” said Manny Duenas. “About 90% of the fishermen use Ritidian. The fishermen that fish out there, they feed their communities and their families. At the end of the day, it’s going to adversely affect us.”
Duenas, 63, has been president of the Guam Fishermen’s Cooperative Association since 1995. He’s been fishing most of his adult life, and was taught the trade by his uncle and others. He said the live-fire training range under construction at Ritidian, and its associated surface danger zone, diminishes fishing.
“We’ve always been known as a seafaring community. Now the ocean is being closed off to us.”