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Coral Reef delegates experience coral wonders of the world — in Manu’a

Big Momma coral reef
American Samoa hosts 40th Meeting of the US Coral Reef Task Force
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Some of the more than 50 off-island delegates to the 40th Meeting of the US Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) traveled to Manu’a over the weekend for diving to witness the world’s largest coral head in waters off Ta’u island as well as blue coral in waters off Ofu Island.

American Samoa is hosting the USCRTF, which starts at 9a.m. on Tuesday at the Gov. Rex Lee Auditorium following the 8a.m. official welcoming Ava ceremony at Utulei Beach. The conference runs through Thursday.

The Sosiaete o Faafafine o Amerika Samoa (SOFIAS) is charged with organizing the conference and Va’amua requested Treasury Department to expedite payment for the contractor.

The conference’s theme, “Natural Infrastructure: Building Capacity and Disaster Preparedness” and Marine and Wildlife Resources director Vaamua Henry Sesepasara chairs the local host committee for the conference, which is expected to infuse new cash into the local economy with so many off island delegates.

“We thought about this [theme] because of the common problems that we have here, in that every disaster we have, coral reefs are destroyed,” Va’amua said during a presentation on the conference at last week’s cabinet meeting. For example, the 2009 tsunami destroyed coral reefs in Leone and some other villages.

“We wanted to showcase our coral reefs,” he said, noting that the delegates started arriving last Thursday night and this group wanted to see the coral reefs in Manu’a so a charter flight took them to Manu’a last Friday for two days of diving and sightseeing.

These individuals will “dive at the very famous coral-head there called, Big Mama. This is the biggest coral head in the world, it’s almost the size of a Samoan fale,” he said noting that the coral head is close to Ta’u island.

On the opposite side of Tau, “is Big Papa [coral head] which was recently discovered about a month ago by my staff when they went to survey Manu’a,” he said. From Ta’u the group traveled to Ofu and Olosega islands diving off Ofu island “to see the blue-coral, which is the only coral (of this type) in the South Pacific.”

According to Va’amua about 56 off-island delegates including those from the federal government are attending the conference and “some of these [federal] people are major decision makers” in Washington D.C.

Federal agencies represented at the conference include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Army, US Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service; US Coast Guard and US Interior Department.

There are 7 jurisdictions under the USCRTF, which includes all five territories along with Florida and Hawai’i. All of the jurisdictions are sending representatives.

A majority of the off-island delegates arrive tonight and there is a working group meeting scheduled for today. The working group will put together recommendations for presentation to the task force conference on Thursday. The schedule of events for the conference also includes site visits on Tutuila.

Because federal representatives include important Washington D.C. decision makers, Administrative Services Department director Malaepule Fuega Moliga asked if an opportunity would be given to local traditional leaders in Manu’a to share their input during the conference.

He said there have been federal decisions made impacting our marine resources and fishing grounds. He believes this is a great opportunity for the federal officials to get local input especially when some of the federal delegates will be visiting Manu’a.

Va’amua responded that there are no plans for meetings with villages as the trip to Manu’a is only sightseeing, because the delegates want to witness these special types of corals.

Education director, Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga said the conference agenda includes a public session during the business meeting on Thursday and suggested that this would be a good opportunity for the public to give input.

And the concerns raised by Malaepule is “well taken” as these same concerns were raised during her tenure as DMWR director, said Matagi-Tofiga.

Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga asked that Va’amua and the host committee proceed with the conference agenda as planned. “But as far as our position regarding those issues, that’s a separate matter altogether,” he said. “What ever they (USCRTF) decide in the conference will not automatically bind us to it, [but] rendering our own territorial position is quite different and that’s a much bigger issue.”