By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
THE Department of Lands and Natural Resources’ Division of Fish and Wildlife has implemented new communication protocols to improve coordination with marine operators at the Smiling Cove Marina transient dock.
The update follows recent adjustments to DFW personnel schedules — including dock operations — made in response to Gov. David M. Apatang’s Oct. 1 austerity directive. The revised hours reportedly resulted in longer wait times for tourists due to the absence of staff responsible for monitoring vessel activity and enforcing marina regulations.
A marine operator told Variety on Friday that DFW had restricted dock operations from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. without prior notice.
“The schedule impacted all marine sport operators who book customer activities well in advance,” the operator said. “They say it’s for austerity, but it means less revenue for the CNMI government and unhappy tourists.”
In response to inquiries, Acting DFW Director Rosemary Camacho issued the following statement:
“Thank you for reaching out regarding recent complaints from our vendors about the lack of communication concerning changes to our operational hours. We deeply regret this oversight and fully understand the frustration it has caused for both our vendors and their paying customers.
“To ensure this does not happen again, our Enforcement Section Supervisor, John Henry Tagabuel, has implemented new workflows to improve communication. Moving forward, a dedicated staff member will be permanently assigned to communicate with vendors on a regular basis — at least monthly — to keep them informed of any matters related to operations at the Transient Dock. Each vendor will also be provided with John’s direct contact number, which will be available seven days a week.
“In addition, vendors may contact the following lines for support:
– DFW Enforcement Section (670) 664-6031.
– Transient Dock Support Line (670) 285-6261.
– Enforcement Hotline (670) 287-1126.
– Director’s Office (670) 664-6000.
“We greatly value our partnerships with our vendors and remain committed to improving our services. We look forward to continuing to support them at the Transient Dock.”
