Pacific Voices

“As a Pacific Islander, this area is important because it holds great cultural values to us as ocean people – not only for our livelihoods, our culture, and our identity, but also for survival. I see the Pacific Islands Heritage as a place of hope. It is a living and breathing ancestor of ours. When we protect it, we also protect ourselves.”

—Nicole Yamase, Micronesian marine biologist and first Pacific Islander to descend to Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench

“Our Kumulipo ties us to the ocean: where all life began. The Pacific Islands Heritage area hold precious connections to our past and promise for our future as Pacific peoples. In the same way these waters are at the nexus of cross-cultural voyaging pathways across Oceania, they likewise are an intersection of climate change mitigation, cultural practice and scientific discovery. We must care for—not extract—the places that hold our ancestral connections.”

—Sol Kaho‘ohalahala, Native Hawaiian Elder, Kupa ʻĀina ʻo Lānaʻi

“My father is a farmer and fisherman, and that has allowed me to have a deep connection with the ocean. The Pacific Islands Heritage area is a special place that is very culturally connected to the people of the Pacific, and protects pelagic ecosystems, coral reefs, seabirds, migrating schools of fish, and your bigger apex predators. It must be an area of real co-management – not just for our benefit, but for the benefit of the next generations.”

—David Lacapa Benavente, Chamorro marine biologist and fisher

“The islands and atolls hold deep historical significance for Marshallese, Hawaiians, CHamorus, and other Pacific Islanders. It’s time for us to chart a new path, one in which Pacific Islanders from the U.S. territories are not only respected and listened to but at the decision-making table. Co-management is a pathway for shared stewardship with Indigenous communities.”

—Lauren Swaddell, CHamoru conservation expert

“Now is the time to preserve these islands for our future, and to honor the sacrifices of Native Hawaiians in the past. We are encouraged to see the outpouring of support from so many Pacific Island descendents who answered the call to protect this special region. We know that this wahi pana cannot be protected without their voices and are hopeful that their comments will allow us to protect the PRI for generations to come.”

—William Aila Jr., Native Hawaiian fisherman

“We are looking at a cultural opportunity here that has not yet existed. That is to bring in all of the surrounding people of the Pacific to talk about their voyaging traditions, their wayfaring traditions, their use of these islands. And I think the end result of that is going to be a closer affiliation of all of the people of the Pacific based on their voyaging history.”

—Rick Gaffney, Former WESPAC council member and President of the Hawai’i Fishing and Boating Association

“As Pasifika leaders, we understand that the protection of our oceans and the rich natural and cultural heritage of places like American Samoa can no longer be left for future generations to solve. We – are the leaders we’ve been waiting for. The time to act is now because our youth deserve a future where their connection to the land and ocean is not just remembered, but preserved. I refuse to leave this burden to my daughter, to fix what should have been protected by my generation and those before us.”

—Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka, American Samoan youth education and conservation expert