WASHINGTON Resident Rep. Pete A. Tenorio has told the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy that while the CNMI is “beautiful,” its people face many challenges to keep it so—with pollution as the main threat to its shores, coral reefs and associated marine habitats.
Tenorio, one of the guest speakers at the commission’s Hawaii and Pacific Island Regional Meeting in Honolulu on May 13 and 14, called for federal and local cooperation to address the commonwealth’s environmental problems and concerns.
In his two-page speech, a copy of which was obtained by Variety yesterday, Tenorio said that hundreds of miles of ocean surrounding the CNMI are “virtually unpatrolled” by either the U.S. or commonwealth enforcement agencies.
“We have little concept of who may be fishing or utilizing the 10 uninhabited islands to the north or the three inhabited islands of Saipan, Rota and Tinian to the south,” said Tenorio.
Whether it is run-off from farms, failing sanitation systems, leaching dump sites or indiscriminate ocean dumping by passing vessels, pollution—according to Tenorio—is the main threat the CNMI’s marine environment.
Erosion of beach sites and coast lines is also an ongoing concern, whether caused by sunken or stranded vessels or development.
The famous Managaha Island on Saipan’s barrier reef, he said, has endured massive erosion between 1999 and 2001.
“Erosion on Saipan itself threatens roads, houses and businesses near the coastline,” said Tenorio.
Another concern he raised is the need for more environmental education. “If we are to maintain truth behind the idyllic description used to attract visitors to our islands, we must get serious about working together and protecting our marine and coastal resources,” Tenorio said.
Benny Pangelinan, coastal project coordinator of the Coastal Resources Management Office, said officials from the U.S. and its territories in the Pacific tackled issues affecting oceans, climate, fisheries, coastal management and coral reefs.
Commission Chairman James D. Watkins, a retired U.S. Navy admiral, spearheaded the two-day event, along with experts from the U.S. State Department, the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Navy.
