The Department Of Marine & Wildlife Resources

The Department Of Marine & Wildlife Resources

Monday, December 13, 2010

Faletogo Taliloa explaining the boundaries of the Village Marine Protected Area (VMPA) and the No-Take Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the village of Fagamalo. The village of Fagamalo also agree to have this No-Take MPA zone closed for 10 years to see if it helps with protecting their marine resources from outsiders. People that come from other villages and fish out their marine resources without the village noticing.
Tepora T. Lavata'i, Afa Uikirifi and Fale Tuilagi represented the Community Based Fishery Management Program (CFMP) at the Fagamalo Outreach, and Lucy Jacob, Tafito Aitaoto and Sione Lam Yuen Jr represented the No-Take MPA. Afa and Tepora explained the rules and regulations that apply to Fagamalo's Village Marine Protected Area (VMPA) where the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) enforce. Lucy explained the difference between the No-Take MPA Program and the CFMP Program that the DMWR have to protect, conserve and preserve for the future generations of American Samoa.
Approximately 30 people participated the outreach on the 12th of December at the village of Fagamalo. The No-Take MPA and the CFMP from the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources had an outreach to discuss the boundaries of the No-Take MPA, how many recommended years they should have their no-take zone for and the regulations that the CFMP had to enforce rules and regulations in both the Village Marine Protected Area and the No-Take MPA in the village of Fagamalo.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Lupelele Elementary School Teachers received resources from the Information Education Division such as posters of fish, post cards, stickers, brochures and magnets. They can use these resources in Lupelele for their students and teachers can also post these posters on the wall to help them with their fish identification and also marine related topics.
Sione Lam Yuen Jr talking about the No-Take Marine Protected Area (MPA) Program in the Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources. Sione talked about the different MPA's in American Samoa such as the National Marine Monument (Rose Atoll), National Marine Santuary (Fagatele), National Park (Fagasa & Vatia) these are MPA's under the Federal, and MPA's under the Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources such as the Community Based Fishery Management Program (CFMP) (Matu'u and Faganeanea) and also the No-Take MPA (Fagamalo). Students from Lupelele Elementary School also learn why it is important to protect marine resources, why bigger fish are better than small fish, the different habitats needed when design an MPA and the benefits of having MPA's in American Samoa and especially them "Future Generations".
Maria Vaofanua and Lusila Minoneti were talking about the different species of Sea Turtles that we have here in American Samoa such as Hawksbill Sea Turtle and the Green Sea Turtle, Coral Reefs, Threats to the reefs, possible solutions that can protect and prevent corals from being killed by these threats. Students from Lupelele Elementary School also learned about the different programs that the Information Education Division (IED) at the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) have during the summer for children their age, such as the Le Tausagi summer camps where they learn about different marine related topics that the different government agencies offer for them.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Officers Hanipale and Mundy talking about rules and regulations that the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR)enforces to protect different marine and wildlife resources that we have here in American Samoa. Students also learned the different types of equipments the enforcement use on the patrol boat and what types of safety issues they should understand before getting on the patrol boat. Lupelele students also learn the different Life Jackets that the enforcement officers use on the boat when they are around the island of Tutuila Patrolling.