By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

A GROUP of fishermen is seeking public support for their proposal to use a portion of Laolao Beach as a launching site for their small boats. (See today and yesterday’s letters to the editor)
Herman Tudela, in an interview said they want to hold a public hearing at the multi-purpose center in Susupe to discuss their proposal.
Tudela said they are not asking for the installation of a new structure. They just want to be allowed to use the particular portion known to their ancestors as “i Pantalan Aliman,” or the German port.
The site is a 100-foot-long portion of Laolao’s 6,200-foot stretch of beach.
He said the Department of Public Safety wants fishermen to use Sugar Dock in Chalan Kanoa.
But Tudela claims if they were to comply with this rule, they would be risking their lives since boating from that area all the way to Laolao Bay “would be very dangerous as the waters are rough and treacherous even on a calm day.”
He said launching from their proposed site will be more economical and safer.
Under the regulations enforced by Coastal Resource Management and the Division of Fish and Wildlife, the only way they can legally fish in Laolao Bay, is to hand carry their small boats or transport them on a trailer all the way to the water.
He said the boats they are using are, on an average, no bigger than 12 to 14 feet long, and have outboard motors ranging from eight to 25 horse power.
Tudela said the northeast end of Laolao Bay, which is historically known as “i Unai Bapot,” or vessel beach, could be an alternative site.
He said these areas provide them with livelihood and allow them to pass on traditional fishing methods to their children.
Moreover, these portions of the beach “do not bear the brunt of tidal water impacts,” he said.
According to Tudela, “this part of Saipan today is as vital to us as it was to our ancestral. Yet we are being denied access to our marine resources for basic subsistence purposes because of rules and regulations that should be re-assessed for their applicability and, more importantly, their practicality.”
He said the designation of a launching site for small boats at Laolao Beach is appropriate not only because of its “traditional use by our ancestors but also because this part of Laoao beach was used during the German and Japanese periods.”
He said “it makes perfect sense to use the site as it is living history and brings to life and reinforces a historical bridge that connects the present to the past.”
He added, “The designation of the site would assist us with a practical means to provide for our families and foster traditional fishing that identifies us as island people.”