June 8, 2023 — While supportive of marine preservation and conservation efforts, locally-based, Feli Fisheries Inc., asserts “that these must be balanced with the preservation of the livelihoods and lifestyle of the American Samoan people.”
This is part of Feli Fisheries’ comment letter, submitted by Edgar Feliciano, the company’s Fleet & Operations Manager, in response to the federal proposal for marine sanctuary designation for the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PIRA) — a move that would expand the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument.
Feliciano informed federal fishery regulators that the proposed discontinuation of the traditional fishing areas represents far-reaching implications, extending beyond the immediate scope of the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument enlargement.
“These impacts and resultant actions are interconnected and cannot be regarded as isolated events,” he said.
Feliciano declared that the “proposed extension of an already enlarged Marine National Monument throughout the Pacific region may precipitate unfavorable consequences for the US Purse Seine Fleet, potentially destabilizing American Samoa’s economy, inclusive of the local American Samoa-based US Longline Fleet.