POHNPEI. On October 20, 2014, Pohnpei Governor John Ehsa, Chief of Staff Falcam on behalf of FSM President
Emanuel Mori, and other state
leaders attended a ceremony at Pohnpei International Airport unveiling a
new welcome sign which celebrates the state’s shark protections. With
the passage of Chuuk’s law in May, all four states
now fully protect sharks in their waters. A draft bill is currently
being reviewed by the FSM National Government which would create a shark
sanctuary in FSM’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
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| Photo: TNC |
In 2011 at the Micronesia Chief Executive Summit,
the Presidents and Governors of Micronesia, committed to create the
Micronesia Shark Sanctuary. The administration and its NGO and private
partners have been working with members of the
FSM National Congress to have this draft legislation passed to fulfill
its regional commitment and to secure the nations ocean resources for
future generations.
“We are immensely proud of our shark protections here in Pohnpei State and this new sign will share with visitors and citizens alike that Pohnpei is committed to passing on our natural resources to our next generations,” said Governor Ehsa. “We look forward to the day when sharks are protected throughout FSM’s EEZ.”
“We are immensely proud of our shark protections here in Pohnpei State and this new sign will share with visitors and citizens alike that Pohnpei is committed to passing on our natural resources to our next generations,” said Governor Ehsa. “We look forward to the day when sharks are protected throughout FSM’s EEZ.”
The sign features an iconic Pohnpei image—Sokehs Rock—as well as images of sharks found in our waters. It reads, “Welcome to Pohnpei where sharks are protected.”
The unveiling comes on the heels of a recent
resolution by Pohnpei’s traditional leaders who called on the Congress
to pass legislation for the creation of a shark sanctuary in FSM’s
national waters. More than 8,000 Micronesian students
have signed a petition in support of an FSM shark sanctuary. The
signers come from all four states of FSM, Palau, the Northern Mariana
Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Guam.
“I’m delighted to see Pohnpei taking the lead in
this effort,” said Willy Kostka, Executive Director of the Micronesia
Conservation Trust. “Sharks are critical to the health of our oceans,
and when FSM passes our national shark sanctuary
we will have joined Palau, Guam, CNMI, and Marshall Islands to create
the largest shark sanctuary in the world.”
Approximately 100 million sharks are killed each
year and the latest science finds that nearly 30% of known shark species
fully assessed by scientists are threatened with extinction. Sharks
are currently unprotected in FSM’s EEZ with the
exception of oceanic whitetip sharks and silky sharks, which are
protected by regional agreements under the Western and Central Pacific
Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).