P.A.L.S Week

The Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources will be opening P.A.L.S Week Celebrations this Friday (Nov. 14, 2014) with the opening of the Floating Dock Marina, across McDonalds in Fagatogo.

In addition there will activities throughout the rest of the week.  Community-based Fisheries Management Program will putting up a booth on Friday (November 21, 2014).  If this is your first (or hundredth) time hearing about our program, we would like to hear from YOU.

If you want to know more, check out the department website:  www.asdmwr.org

More Coral ID fun!

The best part of the Coral ID Workshop with Russell Kelley is the satisfaction of finally breaking through the barriers of identifying corals.  The Coral Finder Toolkit is genius! 

Years of conducting biological monitoring surveys, I have tried my hand at identifying corals, but I have failed.  This is mainly because I have applied the same techniques in identifying fish to corals: color and appearance.  Growth forms are complex as it is so it was easier to do so.  In the end, frustration led to the conclusion that all corals look the same.  Now, there is an adrenaline rush to identifying corals because there is no longer the frustration of saying : it looks like this, but it looks more like this...

The experience to learn corals was enjoyable and it was all thanks to Russell Kelley and Rachel Pears.  Thanks guys!  I'm game to do coral species for the next survey.  Like I said before, the Coral Finder Toolkit is GENIUS!



Coral Identification Capacity Building Program in American Samoa

Russell Kelley is in town!

Russell Kelley is the founder of the Coral Finder Toolkit and is in American Samoa to teach managers and biologists easy ways to identify coral species.  This tool is being introduced in the Coral Finder Toolkit Workshop from September 30 - October 3, 2014.  This workshop is being attended by researchers in the Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources, National Oceonographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Coral Reef Advisory Group (CRAG).    

The Community-based Fisheries Management Program (CFMP) has integrated with the No-Take MPA Program to further promote marine conservation and management in village communities of American Samoa.  There are 11 Village Marine Protected Areas, including those that are No-Take MPAs, in American Samoa under the Community-based Fisheries Management Program.

1. Alega
2. Alofau
3. Amanave
4. Amaua & Auto
5. Aoa
6. Fagamalo
7. Fagasa
8. Matu'u & Faganeanea
9. Poloa
10. Sa'ilele
11. Vatia

A Community Monitoring Workshop was conducted on September 16 - 19, 2014 to inform village mayors and representatives of this integration.  In addition, they have been informed of research results and introduced to partners within the department and government that can help with issues that have contributed to the disintegrated state of the marine resources in their villages.

Marine Debris Sculptures that competed during the Fish and Wildlife Expo Fair








1) This sculpture is made out of soda cans, trash bags, plastic bags and newspapers.

2) This sculpture is made out of compact discs, shoes, computer pieces, piano key board, soda cans, newspapers, container cover, card board, bottle caps.

3). This sculpture is made out of card boards, vailima bottle, construction papers, foil, compact disc and light pulps.

No-Take MPA Program Informational Booth

Sione Lam Yuen Jr. presenting to EMS staff about Marine Protected Area around American Samoa that are managed under the government.  He was explaining the benefits of having an MPA, how many years an MPA is close for and what can village people do to help government agencies to manage and protect marine resources for the future.

Fish Aggregation Device (FAD) Informational Booth

Tee Jay Letalie and Mika Letuane with their FAD booth during the Fish and Wildlife Expo on November 22, 2013. Displayed were FAD posters that explained the difference between Industrial FADs and Artisanal FADs.  They also displayed fishing gears that are used near deep water FADs, Off Shore FADs and Near Shore FADs and maps to show people where in American Samoa are FADs deployed.   These types of aggregation devices can attract Yellow fin Tuna,  Skip Jack, Rainbow Runner, Mahi Mahi and Blue Marlin.

BioSampling Informational Booth

Sa'olotoga Tofaeono and Auva'a So'onaolo extracting otolith and gonad to determine fish growth and life history of the fish. Sa'olotoga also mentioned that they've been doing this project for almost 3 years now and they've measured and cut up close to a 100, 000 fish, the data is sent off to Hawaii for analyzing.