By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staf

On Tuesday, a small group of fishermen who still practice traditional fishing demonstrated before officials of the Coastal Resource Management Office how difficult it is for them to fish in compliance with current regulations.
Herman Tudela told Variety yesterday that they invited the CRMO officials to show them how it difficult it is to fish without letting their boats touch the sand.
Under the current regulations enforced by CRMO and the Division of Fish and Wildlife, the fishermen can legally fish in Laulau Bay if they carry their small boats, with their bare hands or a trailer, from their trucks to the water.
Tudela and some of his colleagues did this while CRMO’s Director John Joyner, natural resources planner Kathy Yuknavage and enforcement staffer Gus Pangelinan watched.
The demonstration was held at the southwest end of Laulau Beach at around 9 a.m., Tuesday.
Reps. Cinta M. Kaipat, Covenant-Saipan, and Joseph De Leon Guerrero, R-Saipan were also invited to watch the demonstration.
Tudela parked his truck about 100 feet from the shoreline, tied a rope to the trailer and the other end to the boat with a 12-horse-power engine.
He and his colleagues could not carry the 12-14-foot-long boat so they had to push it all the way to the shoreline.
Tudela and his colleagues were not able to demonstrate how they do it their own way because the tide had become “unfavorable.”
They instead showed the CRMO officials the tools and accessories they use.
Tudela said he has not heard from the CRMO officials since then.
He said if they were to comply with the suggestion to launch their small boats from Sugar Dock, they would be risking their lives since boating from that area all the way to Laolao Bay is dangerous as the waters are harsh and treacherous even on a calm day.