Learn deep bottom fishing with Peskan Taddong Project

500 Sails is happy to announce the implementation of its Peskan Taddong (Deep Bottom Fishing) project in partnership with Lino S. Tenorio & Associates.

500 Sails is the recipient of a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under its Recreational and Non-Commercial Fishing Program that aims to promote sustainable fishing opportunities and cultural fishing traditions.

Through NOAA, the Peskan Taddong project will teach novice fishermen the techniques of deep bottom fishing to encourage sustainable food security for the CNMI. Each cohort of 12 students will be taught by long-time fisherman Lino S. Tenorio and his associates, Marcy Tenorio and Anthony Guerrero.

Each cohort will participate in a six-hour land (8:30am-2:30pm) and two-hour ocean (TBD) workshop that will take place over the course of the full day and may take up to two days, weather permitting. The scheduled dates for the Peskan Taddong project as best determined by the lunar calendar, holidays, and community social events are indicated below:

-Cohort 1: Monday, Dec. 13
-Cohort 2: Saturday, Jan. 15
-Cohort 3: Saturday, March 19
-Cohort 4: Monday, April 18
-Cohort 5: Friday, June 17

To register for the Peskan Taddong project, visit the link: https://tinyurl.com/peskantaddong

Tenorio is a well-established presence here in the CNMI and he’s a trusted fishing instructor who believes in sharing the art and knowledge of deep bottom fishing to new generations. We’re excited to be partnering with him on this,” said Pete and Emma Perez, co-founders of 500 Sails.

Tenorio has been a fishing instructor for the last 20 years but holds 35 years of fishing experience, which includes spearfishing, trolling, and shallow and deep bottom fishing.

Prior to his retirement, Tenorio served the CNMI government in various capacities as the former deputy commissioner for the Department of Public Safety and as the former commissioner for the first Adult Correctional Facility with the Department of Corrections.

Taking up fishing full time after his retirement, his wife and longtime fishing partner, Marcy Tenorio, joined as his assistant instructor in the last 10 years and is well versed in fishing techniques. His associate, Guerrero, is a part-time fisherman who also holds at least 10 years of fishing experience in trolling and deep bottom fishing.

“I want the people to learn the techniques I use, because it has worked for me and my fishing partners over the years. The techniques they learn will help them tremendously. First and foremost, it will prevent them from making costly mistakes. Secondly, it will help them catch more and bigger fish, because they will learn the best time to fish by studying the tide chart, the weather forecast, and the moon phase[s]. In addition, they will gain some knowledge on how to effectively use GPS, how to properly rig, the recommended bait, and how to use the right equipment and accessories. By learning all these, they will be able to help their family by putting food on the table, and they may end up selling a portion of their catch to make some money out of it and spend it on anything they need,” said Lino Tenorio.

500 Sails is a 501(c)3 and CNMI tax-exempt nonprofit organization dedicated to reviving, promoting, and preserving the maritime cultural traditions of the Mariana Islands through community engagement in canoe cultural values and activities. 500 Sails’ vision is that of a healthy thriving native community that has successfully integrated traditional cultural values into modern life.

Further information can be found on the 500 Sails website at https://500sails.org. Community Programs Director Marjorie Daria can be reached at mdaria@500Sails.org  or (670) 323-7245 (SAIL). (PR)