By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

THE Coastal Resource Management Office, together with other environmental agencies, yesterday began getting rid of what CRMO calls “litter” along the Beach Road shoreline.
The CRMO enforcement unit led by Zerlyn Taimanao loaded the small boats onto a 10-wheel truck and two pick-ups during the removal operation that started at around 9 a.m.
The Division of Environmental Quality, the Department of Public Lands, the Marianas Visitors Authority and the Saipan Mayor’s Office assisted CRMO.
The operation started in San Antonio and ended in Garapan.
A bolt cutter was used to snap the chains off the boats and trees. Some boats that were too big to carry were disassembled. Some had to be dug out of the sand.
At one point, one of the boat owners rushed to the scene and said he was unaware of CRMO’s notice.
He asked the team to help him bring his boats home which was just across the road.
Louie Duenas, one of the enforcement team members, said that as early as December, they had counted 70 small boats that would be removed from the shoreline.
He said they will transport the small boats to Black Micro’s old quarry in Marpi.
CRMO Director John Joyner also rolled up his sleeves and gave his team a hand during yesterday’s removal operation.
“We are doing this as early as possible. The deadline should have been 35 days ago. The owners of these small boats have to understand that they are using the shoreline to the extent that they are taking advantage of the environment,” he said.
The shoreline, he pointed out, belongs to the people “so the people have to take care of this.”
He added, “We are always taking care of our resources. This is exactly what our people say we have to do and it is important for the public to know that what these environmental agencies are doing now shows their commitment.”
CRMO posted notices on the boats as early as Nov. 28 to inform owners about the deadline for them to remove the craft.
Joyner earlier said that since the owners seemed to have ignored CRMO’s notices, they decided to take action.