The Pacific Marine Resources Institute has opened an office on island and is now working with the CNMI and other jurisdictions in Micronesia to protect their marine resources.
In an interview yesterday, marine biologist Peter Houk said PMRI, a non-government organization, has been in existence since 2002 but was operating on a very limited basis.
PMRI has already implemented a number of projects: the CNMI state of the reef report, the Saipan lagoon habitat maps, the American Memorial Park mangroves, the Yap state rapid ecological assessment and the Chuuk state rapid ecological assessment.
Houk said a group of scientists came up with an idea of creating the institute because back then, the science available for resource management was very poor.
Houk said resource management is still in dire need of sound recommendations and appropriate actions.
PMRI works with either government or non-government organizations and offers professional expertise crucial to managing resources.
Working in partnership with the government, PMRI can assist in writing grants, doing surveys and understanding the data collected so it can be used to come up with recommendations and priorities in resource management efforts.
Right now, PMRI is working with the coral reel monitoring program throughout the Micronesia, a project funded by the Micronesia Conservation Trust.
In the CNMI, Houk said PMRI can help the government apply for and secure grants.
Aside from Houk, the PMRI board is composed of Steven Victor, Yimnang Golbuu, John Starmer, Craig Musbergeo and Teina Rongo.
