DLNR came up with a conservation plan in 2007, outlining various projects for the sustainable use of the CNMI’s marine resources.
In the proposed amendment, the conservation plan now includes the construction of cold storage, fish processing and market facilities which will cost $500,000.
DLNR also included the creation of a fish marketing plan and the deployment of community fish aggregation devices.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act of 1996 authorizes the U.S. Department of State with the concurrence of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and in consultation with the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, to negotiate a Pacific Insular Area Fishery Agreement in order to allow foreign fishing within the U.S. exclusive economic zones.
The governor of the CNMI, for his part, must develop a three-year marine conservation plan which should also detail the uses of funds to be collected by the federal government under the Pacific Insular Area Fishery Agreement.
