Pacific Coastal Research & Planning

Mapping the Coral Reef Fisheries of the Mariana Islands

2017

Pacific Coastal Research & Planning; Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council

"In order to better understand the coral reef fisheries of the Pacific Islands region a concerted effort must be made to leverage the knowledge of those who know those fisheries best. Within the setting of nearshore and inshore areas, this means capturing the expertise of local fishing communities. Information gathered from such efforts can be a useful tool for resource users and managers alike, particularly where knowledge is spatially referenced and subsequently rendered compatible with a growing suite of area-based management tools. This project constitutes one such effort. This study and its associated products are intended to supplement existing fisheries data in the Marianas with a range of geographic datasets that were derived from the experiences of the local fishing community. This project was first implemented in 2016 on the island of Guam and then replicated in 2017 in the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) on the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Using multiple participatory mapping techniques, this project resulted in a wide range of spatial data that tells a geographically explicit story. This report describes the process and outcomes of this process as implemented in the CNMI."

Mapping, GIS, CNMI, coral reef, fish, fishery

NMFS

FY2014; Fishery Management Council Cooperative Agreement NA14NMF4410146.

NA14NMF4410146