CNMI bans cyanide fishing

The Northern Marianas government has banned the use of cyanide in harvesting fish and other marine resources in its waters after Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio signed a landmark law declaring the practice a criminal offense.

Under Public Law 11-112, cyanide fishing carries jail sentence of up to three years, a fine of not less than $10,000 or both, for every violation. The Division of Fish and Wildlife is tasked to enforce the ban.

Mr. Tenorio urged lawmakers to widen the ban to include other chemicals and methods used by fishermen in exploiting the island’s rich fish stock and other marine life.

“I agree with the Legislature that a ban of cyanide fishing in the Commonwealth is crucial in order to preserve our marine life,” he said in signing the law.

“I urge… to review the possibility of subsequent amendments which would expand the ban to include other chemicals and methods that are nor only deadly to coral reefs and marine organisms, but also dangerous to human lives,” the governor told in his letter to the presiding officers of the 12th Legislature.

The new law, one of dozens of bills passed during the last days of the previous Legislature, is part of the efforts by the island government to protect its rapidly-depleting natural resources.

“This is an industry that must be banned from feeding off the pristine waters of the CNMI. The waters of the Commonwealth must be protected from this marine life genocide,” said its sponsor, former Rep. Manuel A. Tenorio.

Cyanide fishing is a method in which fishermen harvest marine life by spraying such poisonous material into the coral reefs to stunt fishes and crustaceans, extract them by breaking apart the coral rocks.

Live fishes are then sold in aquarium and food markets which are becoming popular around the world. The bill said that while the poison does not kill the fish, it kills and destroys the other life forms in the coral reef.

“The demand for fresh seafood is at a high and a complete ban of cyanide fishing in the Commonwealth today will preserve our marine life for our future,” the law pointed out.

“To destroy coral reefs is to destroy the people’s veritable fish factories, their major source of food and provider of income,” it added.

Called the Cyanide Fishing Act of 1999, the measure followed a general consensus reached among lawmakers in the Western Pacific during the recent assembly of the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures or APIL, according to lawmakers.

They said the move is in line with the regional efforts to safeguard marine life and resources which are being threatened by commercial fishing ventures, especially those that engage in illegal practices just to make more money.

While there are no official statistics on the extent of cyanide fishing practice in the Commonwealth, reports indicate that there has been an “alarming increase” of such activities in the vast waters of Indo-Pacific region.