Maria Vaofanua, Fale Tuilagi, Kiso So'oto and Afa Uikirifi posting after the Government Leader and Village Mayor Workshop on Friday October 15, 2010 at the Equator Resteraunt in Tafuna. Malo Lava Le Galulue!

Maria Vaofanua another representative from the Information Education Division (IED) at the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources helping out with the signing in of the mayors and also the activity during the Government Leaders and Village Mayor Workshop at the Equator in Tafuna. Special Thanks to Afa Uikirifi and Fale Tuilagi from the Community Based Fishery Management Program (CFMP), Fatima Sauafea-Leau from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Island Regional Office (NOAA PIRO), Alice Lawrence from the Coral Reef Advisory Group (CRAG), Kiso So'oto and Peter Eves from the Enforcement Division, and Maria Vaofanua and Lusila Minoneti from the Information Education Division. Thanks for all the help from the different divisions in the department, GRAG and NOAA PIRO.

Lusila Minoneti a representative from the Information Education Division at the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources helping the her group with their concerns and questions about the activity. The activity was to design their own No-Take MPA in the villages that the mayors were divided into. Lusila and her group worked on the village of Leone on the western district. Mayors were had fun and gain more knowledge on the different Marine Protected Area's that American Samoa have.

Those are the people who work for the No-Take MPA program at the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources. From left to right (Tafito Aitaoto, Lucy Jacob and Sione Lam Yuen Jr). That is their new uniform that they wore at the Government Leaders and Village Mayor Workshop that was held at the Equator in Tafuna. 47 mayors participated the workshop and they enjoyed it. There were presentations, activity and discussion sessions after the presentations.

Mayors were divided into 6 groups to design their own No-Take Marine Protected Area (MPA). Mayor Vaiesea Falaula Silivelio from the village of Tula and his group was designing their No-Take in his village. They had their MPA behind the NOAA weather station at the tip of the village of Tula. They had 4 reasons why they chose this area of the village to establish their MPA; 1) hardly anybody visit the area, 2) a lot of marine resources, 3) it has all 3 habitats for fishes: nursing grounds, feeding grounds, and spawning grounds and 4) healthy coral reefs. This MPA covers 3 miles from the coastline to the deep waters, and the group dicided that you can tell there is a No-Take MPA there because they are going to set buoy's 50ft from each other to mark the boundaries of the MPA.

The village of Aua's Mayor Fotuonuutaua Toma Anetere'a presenting on how a No-Take Marine Protected Area (MPA) would help to protect marine resources that they have in the village of Aua if established. Their group also presented how this MPA can keep outsiders from fishing in their village. Anetere'a think that this workshop really helped his group to think of ways that they can use to protect marine resources for the future of their villages. They have fun during the workshop on Friday, Malo Lava Le Galulue!

Summary Results from Evaluation:

97% said the presentations were clear and they were able to understand them (all except 1), 69% favorite topic was MPA talk; 34% liked Coral Reef talk; 17% preferred Climate Change talk and 28% like the activity, 97% thought the presenters were knowledgeable, 93% enjoyed the opportunity and would like to have more similar ones (2 people said no), 86% said fishing is a popular activity in their village (3 people said no), and 59% said they think their village would consider establishing an MPA; 24% (7 mayors) did not know and 7% (2 mayors) said no (Fogagogo and Tafuna).