What, or rather who, is the "Western Pacific Regional Management Fisheries Council" (WESPAC)? We've heard alot about them lately with regard to the efforts of their representatives to put an immediate end to any consideration of the NMI National Marine Monument. I think many of us really don't know who this group is, and what their motivations are. So, I've been doing a little research.saipan blog
What have I found? Well, while they might like to suggest they carry the role of a determining regulatory body.. they are simply an advisory body, whose recommendations are subject to NOAA, the Department of Commerce and the like. They are supposed to make recommendations on fishing policy in the US Pacific waters. They have a sordid history to say the least, having been chastised by the Department of Commerce, the Government of Hawaii, NOAA and numerous conservation groups. They've been embroiled in a variety of battles over deception, misuse of funds, producing educational materials frought with misinformation, former WESPAC chairs charged with commercial fishing violations, and falsifying studies, among others.
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WESPAC was the main, and one of the only, opponents to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands State Refuge/PAPAHĀNAUMOKUĀKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT (NWHI), the equivelant of what would have been our NMI Marine Monument. They pulled out every trick they could to stop the Hawaii refuge. This included trying to oust Peter Young, the Chairman of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources, a supporter of the marine refuge. As a point of note, 112,000 comments of support have been submitted for the NWHI.
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I had a hard time finding anything positive about WESPAC actually. In fact, I didn't find anything. My question is, did any of our elected "leaders" do any research about this organization before their call against the monument? Or worse, do they simply care about potentially lining their pockets with commercial fishing dollars, than support the idea of a monument, that will not likely involve such potential personal profits?
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Here are links to a few articles on WESPAC. Having read all of this stuff.. I've come to my own conclusion about WESPAC. In my opinion, they exist simply to capitalize on their status as an advisory organization, in order to reap as much profit as possible from our marine resources. They will do anything they need to forward their position, to stop conservation, and to prevent any hidrance to commercial fishing operations, be that disregarding shark-finning, working to have public officials removed, or purposefully producing educational materials containing blatant misinformation.
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The first link is a must-read. I gave up at 18, there were just too many articles to mention and go through the link-posting procedure.
commonwealth of the northern mariana islands1) "Fishing For Dollars" - Honolulu Weekly
2) NOAA Rejects WESPAC's Fishing Regulations - KAHEA
3) Fishing Clubs Assail WESPAC Head - Honolulu Advertiser
4) Hawaii Fishing Groups Seek Federal Probe of WESPAC Management Council - ENS Newswire
5) A New Threat: WESPAC - Lost Fish Coalition
6) Smells Fishy - Honolulu Weekly
7) Hawaii: Probe Requested into WESPAC Fisheries Council - Pacific Magazine
8) WESPAC Ignores Hawaii Shark-finning Problem - Sport Fishing Magazine
9) Fisheries Council (WESPAC) Faulted on Ethics and Lobbying Rules - Star Bulletin
10) Hawaii Longline Observer Program Gutted by National Marine Fisheries Service - Envirowatch
11) WESPAC Votes to Remove Longline Set Limits - Sea Turtle Restoration Project
12) Native Front: Is Linda Lingle's Ahu Moku Council Just a Front for Business as Usual? - Save Kauai
13) Congressman Henry Waxman Urges Federal Investigation of WESPAC - KAHEA
14) Shopping for Scientists: WESPAC's Endrun around the Endangered Species Act - Cascadia Times
15) Oasis of the Pacific: Time is Running Out
16) Even Jaws Deserves to Keep His Fins - Jessica Spiegel
17) Fins - San Francisco Weekly
18) Environmental Defense Calls for Investigation of Abuses - Surfing Magazine
