Improving MPA Management Effectiveness

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Site Overview Location Information Goals and Accomplishments Site Management Other Site Evaluations and Research Contact Information and Web Links
Site Overview
General description of site: This is CNMI's oldest no-take marine preserve. It stretches approximately 3 miles along the coast from Puna Point to Coral Gardens and include some unique marine features and a popular dive site. Its corals were severely impacted by the intentional detonation of a WWII subchaser's depth charges in 1996. Despite this impact, the fishes of the preserve appear to be doing well. Date of establishment: October 1994 Area (Km²): 0.8 Size of site (S <= 20Km²; M = 20 - 2000Km²; L >= 2000Km²): Small Ecosystem type/main ecological features: Fringing coral reef Fish reserves Description of special resources; important ecological features; reason for establishing a protected area: Unique coral features Popular dive site Fringing coral reef Historic WWII wrecks
Location Information
Geographic coordinates (lat/long): 14510'00" E, 1407'05" N (USGS topo NAD83/WGS84) Boundaries: 1000ft seaward of low tide mark Nearest major city: Song Song, Rota Region: Tropical
Goals and Accomplishments
Goals and objectives of MPA: Goal: Preservation of natural beauty, pristine marine environment and historical wreckage Boost tourism industry Propagation and protection of marine life for areas outside of protected area Site accomplishments to date: Community recognition and support high Community involvement in monitoring Enforcement actions
Site Management
Management objective: No-take Type of management structure: Conventional Challenges of site management: No on-site staff or related facilities; Site is located on the Island of Rota a plane flight (roughly 100 miles) from Saipan, the capitol of CNMI and the island on which all of the natural resource agencies have their main offices and most of their staff (including the lead staff for this particular initiative); Division of Fish and Wildlife's primary source of funding can not be used for enforcement activities and local funding is extremely limited; and, Limited staff and equipment such as vehicles and boats to patrol area. Does a management plan exist? No, plan is in development Summary of main aspects of management plan: N/A Main stakeholders involved: Government agencies
Other Site Evaluations and Research
Description of any other site evaluations to date: Intensive on-site marine biophysical monitoring every 6-months conducted by the CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife; additional less intensive on-site and near site annual biophysical monitoring conducted by the interagency Marine Monitoring Team (MMT). Listing of current/recent research activities: See "Marine Resources of the Mariana Islands: an annotated bibliography." Available by Jan. 2003 through the Coastal Resources Management Web site.
Contact Information and Web Links
Main Contact(s) Information: Thorne Abbott Natural Resource Planner Division of Fish and Wildlife P.O. Box 10007, Lower Base Saipan, MP 96950 Ph: + (670) 664-6025 / 664-6000 Fax: + (670) 664-6060/ 664-6046 e-mail: Thornea@coastalzone.com Erica Cochrane Coastal Resources Management Office, CNMI Coral Reef Coordinator P.O. Box 10007, 2nd Floor Morgan Bldg. Saipan, MP 96950 Ph: (670)664-8302 Fax: (670)664-8315 e-mail: crm.coralreef@saipan.com or erica@ken-erica.net Other Contact Information: Mike Trianni Fisheries Manager, CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife e-mail: mstdfw@itecnmi.com Link to pilot site Web page or related Web pages: CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife: http://www.dfw.gov.mp CNMI Coastal Resources Management: http://www.crm.gov.mp CNMI Division of Environmental Quality: http://www.deq.gov.mp (top)

Sasanhaya Fish Reserve, CNMI