This is very crucial in the protection of near-shore resources, according to Division of Fish and Wildlife aquatic education specialist Richard B. Seman.
Chenchulu or surround net is a type of fishing net with a mesh size of less than once inch. This net is made of nylon or other fabric materials. When it harvests, it merely bundles up the fish by reducing the spread of the entire net, or by pocketing the catch then lifting it off the water.
Because of the smaller size of mesh, the use of Chenchulu brings in by-catch and juvenile fish but fishermen who know about protected species can easily sort and throw them back to the water.
Tekkin or gillnet on the other hand has mesh size greater than one or up to two inches. This type of net is made of monofilament materials which are considered destructive.
As its English name implies, it catches the fish by their gills, thus strangling them, including the by-catch.
Both Chenchulu and Tekkin are prohibited under the current CNMI’s Fish and Games Rules and Regulations. This means that net fishing is banned in the waters surrounding the CNMI.
Which one of these two types of nets is acceptable in case there is a compelling reason to lift the ban on net fishing?
Obviously, it’s the Chenchulu which does not kill the harvest and the by-catch.
It is also less harmful to the environment compared to the Tekkin which is made of monofilament materials.
When it breaks and is abandoned in the water, the Tekkin will continue to capture and kill marine species including the coral reefs for many years because the monofilament will only break down in 20 to 50 years.
All this is why Seman and the members of the minority bloc in the House of Representatives tried but failed to block the passage of House Bill 17-136 last week.
Introduced by Rep. Sylvestre I. Iguel, Covenant-Saipan, the bill dangerously switches the definitions of Chenchulu and Tekkin, Seman said.
H.B. 17-136 states that “provided the net mesh size is no smaller than two inches, the use of drag nets, (chenchulu lagua) surround nets (chenchulu umesugon) or trap net (chenchulu managam) shall be legal in waters surrounding the third senatorial district [Saipan and the Northern Islands] when used in non-commercial purposes only.”
Seman, a former secretary of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources, told lawmakers that this language is in error.
It actually contradicts the very purpose of the bill. Instead of allowing Chenchulu, it actually prohibits it by defining it incorrectly, he added.
The bill, he said, wants the mesh size to be two inches, which is the exact description of a gillnet.
Also, he added, H.B. 17-136 defines the Chenchulu to be made of monofilament materials, another feature of gillnet, and not of Chenchulu.
What puzzles him is that the proponents of the bill kept using the word Chenchulu when the bill refers to the gillnet.
If the Legislature wants to lift the ban on Chenchulu, Seman said lawmakers should work with the Department of Land and Natural Resources secretary to amend existing regulations.
The House passed H.B. 17-136 with a floor amendment from Rep. Ramon A. Tebuteb, R-Saipan, redefining Chenchulu, and clarifying that it is made of nylon and not monofilament materials.
The bill is now with the Senate.
