Fishing Activity

Participants were divided into 3 groups and a package of a string and 100 fishes cut from papers were given to the groups.  The string represents the no take mpa and the fishes represent the benefit from the mpa after Spillover.  Spillover is when fish reproduce and multiply in numbers (Abundance) and the area can't fit no more, so fishes come outside of the mpa and some stay inside of the mpa because they are territorial animals.  There are 3 rounds and 10 seconds each, each participant should put their left arm behind them and use their right arm to fish with like a fishing pole.  After each round the different groups should count fishes inside and outside of the mpa.  They key of the activity is managing how you fish, take fish according to what people can consume, not over fishing.  

Sione with the no-take mpa presentation

Sione with the no-take mpa program with the presentation on the different types of mpa in American Samoa, the benefits of having an mpa and why mpa's are important.  There was a fishing activity after the presentation.  It is an example to the community that you can only fish outside of the marine protected area but not inside the no take.  Swimming, Research and Diving is only allowed in this area. Destructive fishing methods was another topic that the community talked about.

Tafito with the opening remarks

Tafito Aitaoto the leader of the No-Take MPA Program is starting off the outreach with his opening remarks to the community of Faga'alu.  Thanks to Peter Taliva'a with the Marine Debris and Education Division in DMWR for assisting the no-take mpa during this outreach.  Posters, Brochures, Newsletters, and Stickers were left over for the community to take so they would understand more about the mpa program.

Faga'alu Community at No-Take MPA Program Outreach

Member of the Faga'alu village during an outreach by the No-Take MPA Program in the Department Of Marine and Wildlife Resources.  Approximately 40 people attended the outreach along with the mayor of the village of Faga'alu Mr. Uso Lago'o.  Thanks to the mayor for a job well done contacting the community to participate the outreach, because during the Planning of their Watershed Action Plan the committee agreed to have a marine protected area in their village.  DMWR is waiting for the village council to discuss the issue and then they will contact Tafito Aitaoto the leader for the program for the next step.

Preparation for award ceremony

Fatima, Caroline, Pele and Alex preparing prices and certificates for kids after the camp.  Mayor Aleaga Nili was the special guest that assist Fatima Sauafea-Leau with presenting the awards and certificates during the award ceremony after the summer camp at the village of Aunu'u.  Special thanks to the village, mayor, principle of Tauese Elementary School and Parents of all the kids that attended the Le Tausagi Summer Camp for making this camp possible.  Also a big "Fa'amalo" to all the different agencies that are part of the Le Tausagi Family.  Malo Le Galulue!

ASCC Land Grant Presentation by Tony Maugalei

Marcella Pepe and Tony Maugalei presenting on behalf of the American Samoa Community College Land Grant.  They presented on the Forestry Program at Land Grant in Mapusaga.  Their presentation was based on the Forest that is found here in American Samoa.  They explained why Plants and Trees are important in the environment; and how their work is related in protecting trees and plants for organisms that are found in the forest.  They ask kids to write a poem about the forest and they read it in front of everybody during the camp fire on Wednesday July 18th 2012.

Water Activity during Summer Camp at Aunu'u

On the second day of the camp, Peter Taliva'a, Derek Toloumu, Nick Saumweber, Trevor Kaitu'u and Sean Felise took all the kids for a swimming lesson at the wharf.  They were divide into 4 groups, and each of the groups was lead by one of the representative and a junior counselor.  Each of the group get to learn breast stroke, freestyle swimming, butterfly and they also learn how to float.  After this water activity at the wharf, they had a camp fire.  They said that this was one of the best summer they had.  

Marine Debris Activity

Natosha Ripley and Aunu'u kids after Marine Debris activity.  Peter Taliva'a presented on marine debris and how it affect marine resources and life in the ocean, after his presentation kids had a clean-up outside of the classroom and a beach clean-up near the wharf.  It is very important to educate younger generations to be clean, tidy and put trash in trash bins.  Principle Ta'ala Vaigogo was happy that kids that are attending at the Tauese Elementary on Aunu'u are learning these basic steps of keeping the environment clean.

Tsunami Drill

Peter Taliva'a, Derek Toloumu and Nick Saumweber lining up kids for their Tsunami Drill on all the days of the camp.  Before lessons and activities in the morning kids are lined up for tsunami drill, since Aunu'u is an island and has a low elevation.  Their is a path that they should remember to run to when a tsunami hits the island of Aunu'u, they said that they have tsunami drill too when school is in session in Aunu'u.

Nick with the registration

Nicholas Saumweber from NRCS helping Aunu'u kids with their registration on the first day of the Le Tausagi Summer Camp 2012. Approximately 40 kids showed up during the camp and 15 junior counselors along with representatives from various agencies like NRCS, Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, NOAA PIRO, ASCC Land Grant and ASCC Marine Science Class, American Samoa National Park Services,  Department of Commerce and especially the mayor of Aunu'u Aleaga Nili for accepting Le Tausagi to have their first summer camp in the village of Aunu'u.

Enforcement Presentation by Kiso So'oto

Kiso So'oto presented on behalf of the enforcement division during the DMWR summer camp at Faga'alu.  His presentation was based on illegal fishing methods and destructing fishing methods that fishermen are still using till today.  Boat safety was another topic So'oto presented and also  rules and regulation that they are enforcing based on Marine Protected Area in villages of American Samoa.  He had some visual aid such as a car battery attached to a metal pole where people use to electrify the ocean and fish will die and float on the surface of the water.  

Field Trip to VMPA in the village of Alofau

Afa Uikirifi presenting on behalf of the Community based Fisheries Management Program (CFMP) to kids that participate the summer camp 2012.  He is explaining why Marine Protected Areas (MPA's) are important to a village, what are the benefits, and why is it important for the village to work together with the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources to establish and design an MPA.

Fishing Activity during summer camp 2012

Anthony, Mika and Tovine assisting kids with fishing activity on the second day of the summer camp 2012.  Not only kids learn about alcohol abuse and child abuse from the department of Human Social Services, Boat Safety from Marine Patrol, Traffic Safety from Department of Public Safety Traffic Division, marine related topics from the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources but taking them fishing was a big step of what they have learn inside their classrooms                                                                               

Zero and Staff on Water Safety

On the first day of the camp, DMWR staff took kids to Utulei so Zero and Staff can teach them how to swim.  In order for DMWR staff to take them snorkel or fishing, kids should learn how to swim.  So Zero is briefing on water safety before he take them in the water for lessons.  They were divided in 4 age groups; 9-10 yrs old, 10-11 yrs old, 11-12 yrs old and 12-13 yrs old and junior counselors were divided into these groups to assist Zero and staff as well as DMWR staff.

DMWR Summer Camp at Faga'alu 2012

Approximately 40 kids showed up at Faga'alu for the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources Summer Camp 2012.  Junior Counselors from the summer course attended too to assist Hooked On Fishing Not On Drugs instructors during the camp.  Kids enjoyed the camp and also learned a lot about marine related topics.  Thanks to Social Services, Marine Patrol and Public Safety Traffic Division for a well done presentation for kids during this summer camp 2012.

Marine Debris Field Trip to Faga'alu

Brody and Jack recording the type of trash that their group is picking up during the field trip to Faga'alu after Peter's presentation on Marine Debris.  During this field trip, 40lbs of trash was picked up from the beach and on the cricket field in Faga'alu that day.  Most of the trash that they picked up were glass bottles, candy rappers, plastic bottles, bottle caps, cigarette butts and clothing materials.

DMWR Marine Summer Course 2012

After Peter Taliva'as presentation on Marine Debris, kids took a field trip to Faga'alu to conduct a clean up and a snorkel session.  These hands on activities will remind them that what we do on land can affect life in the ocean.  After the clean up, Peter took them for a snorkel so they can see all the trash floating on corals and under the sand in the ocean.  Everybody had fun and learn something during the Marine Debris session on June 12, 2012.

Human Social Services presentation by Margret and Lanu

On June 12, 2012 representatives from Social Services presented on the Impact of Alcohol to the youth of American Samoa.  During the presentation, Lanu mentioned that the youngest age that was referred to their office because of alcohol was 8 years old and the oldest was 72 years old.  The age group that are participating the Marine Summer Course are students that just graduated from elementary going to high school starting fall of 2012.  

Mr. William Sokimi is teaching the class how to tie different knots such as Square Knot, Clove Hitch, Bow Line, Sheet Bend, and Slip Knot.  Sokimi mentioned that knots is important to any work that requires rope, anchors, and especially Fish Aggregation Device (FAD).  Knots are useful to learn because people can use it anytime and anywhere they needed to.

Fish Aggregation Device (FAD) Training 


Mr. William Sokimi teaching the class how to splice two ropes together so the shackle and swivel can attached to the anchor.  After the demonstration by Mr. Sokimi, the class pairs in two and splice two ropes for FAD A and C.  Mr. Mika Letuani is holding the other end of the rope so it looks like there is only one rope after splicing it.  Tee Jay Letalie was the coordinator for this training at the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources from April 30th to May 4th 2012.

Climate Resilience Committee Plan Team

On March 3rd 2012 the Amouli Committee finalize their Climate Resilience

Josh and Fale sorting out the catch during the cobb trawl on Thursday March 15, 2012. Sorting the catch was one of the hardest thing to do because we have to use tweezers to sort the catch in to 4 to 5 different groups. John, Don and Jennifer thanks the boys for their help and they make the job look easy for the scientists on the Oscar Elton Sette.

Sione Lam Yuen Jr assisting Jennifer Fry, John Denton, Aimee Hoover, Megan Duncan and Don Kobayashi with measuring Myctophids, Non Myctophids, Crustaceans, Cephalopods and Gelatinous Plankton's mass, volume, weight and length.

Sharptail Mola (Masturus lanceolatus) caught during cobb trawl

During a Cobb Trawl on March 15, 2012 Thursday at 12:00am, scientists on the Oscar Elton Setter caught a Sharptail Mola in the net when they were trawling at night for Myctophids. The ship crew and scientist were busy during this time to free the fish and you can watch how the fish was released in the water by clicking the link: capture of a large sharptail mola

Conductivity, Thermal and Depth (CTD) station

Tafito Aitaoto working with Scott Allen, Megan Duncan, and Evan Howell at the CTD station. Sione Lam Yuen Jr was assisting Louise Giuseffi and Emily Norton with their Issacs-Kid mid water trawl (IKMT), Manta Net and 1 meter ring oblique net which collects plankton from the water column down to approximately 230 meters. Josh started the trip with helping Jamie Barlow, Meagan Sundberg and Ryan Nichols with the small boat operations and Fale Tuilagi assisted John Denton, Aimee Hoover, Jennifer Fry and Donald Kobayashi with the Cobb Trawl.

DMWR participants ready for work

from left to right: Donald Kobayashi, Fale Tuilagi, Sione Lam Yuen Jr, Louise Giuseffi, and Josh Tuaumu; getting ready to deploy the Issacs Kidd Plankton Net in the water. The Plankton net is towed alongside of the ship, and the materials that they collected will be examined by scientist in the wet lab. Some other cool stuff scientists found in this type of net is fish larvae.

Sione Lam Yuen and Alison Green during the Marine Think Tank Session at ICCB conference 2011

Sione attended the ICCB conference in Auckland, New Zealand where he met Alison Green. Alison Green use to work for the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources back in the 1995. Alison was the facilitator for the Improving Effectiveness of Community Managed Areas for Fisheries Management, Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation session during the Marine Think Tank of the ICCB conference 2011.

Members from American Samoa who attended the ICCB conference 2011 at Auckland, New Zealand

Sione Lam Yuen Jr a representative from the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources and Hideyo Hattori a representative from the Department of Commerce at American Samoa who were representatives that got accepted to attend the 25th International Congress for Conservation Biology Conference 2011 at Auckland, New Zealand.

Pacific Islanders Applicants who got accepted to ICCB Conference 2011

There were seven members from the pacific who got accepted to the 25th International Congress for Conservation Biology Conference in 2011 that was held at Auckland, New Zealand. People from Palau, Solomon Island, Fiji, Guam and American Samoa got accepted last year during the conference in Auckland. It was a great experience, learned a lot, and met new people that work for other Marine Protected Area programs in other parts of the world.