Although appreciative of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council’s work in championing needs of U.S. territories, Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has raised with the Council serious concerns over federal control expanding to “our territorial assets”.

Lolo’s concerns were raised in a letter last week to the Council’s executive director, Kitty M. Simonds and covers two issues of federal expansion into American Samoa’s territorial waters.

At the outset of his letter, the governor thanked Simonds for her continued dedication to championing the needs of the territories and assuring that “our unique circumstances and inherent development demands” are clearly relayed to the federal government and other public and private institutions having influence over ocean resources.

Lolo recalled that during a recent Hawaii meeting, Simonds had disclosed that the Council has conducted a public hearing in American Samoa to address the request from long liners to fish within the 50 miles fishing protected zone for local fishermen.

One of the recommendations which came out of the public hearing was to allow the long liners to fish beyond the 25 miles but within the 50 miles fishing protective zone, said Lolo adding that the Council was to deliberate on this option and then promulgate its decision.

“I was under the impression that the position of the American Samoa Government will be solicited before the Council decision is announced,” Lolo wrote and  noted that he has not received any information on what the Council has decided to do on this issue.

Lolo went on to say, “As you know, I am very concerned with current federal trends with regards to usurpation of our fishing grounds for sanctuaries” and pointed out that he had just read the announcement by U.S. President Barack Obama creating the world’s largest ocean preserve “which involves our Territorial waters.”

“The lack of federal government sensitivity to the vehement objections from our people on the expansion of Sanctuaries, usurping traditional fishing grounds, fell on deaf ears,” Lolo said. “The alteration of the fishing protection zone by the Council without local acquiesce appears to follow the same pattern.”

While appreciate of all efforts of the Council to promote fishery development in American Samoa, the governor says that the “issue of expanding federal control over our territorial assets is rather disconcerting.”

Meanwhile, the governor’s executive assistant Iulogologo Joseph Pereira told Samoa News that Lolo will be meeting in Honolulu with Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources director Dr. Ruth Tofiga-Matagi and Port Administration Taimalelagi Dr. Claire Tuia Poumele to discuss the position of American Samoa on the issue as expressed in the governor’s letter.

Taimalelagi, along with local recreational fisherman Taulapapa Willie Sword, are the governor’s nominees on the board of the Fisheries Management Council, while Matagi-Tofiga is the American Samoa state-designated official on the board.