Representatives from the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council updated the Mayor’s Council of Guam on a series of community consultations and a small vocational fisher training program that council staff said were funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and designed to feed local observations into regional fisheries management.

Felix Reyes introduced the presentation. Zach Yamada, who identified himself as a West Pacific Council staff member, described a program of listening sessions and capacity building in island fishing communities across American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Hawaii. “We have some funding through the Inflation Reduction Act to do community consultation meetings,” Yamada told the mayors, and the council has committed to a series of visits through 2026 to collect observations and preferences from fishers.

Why it matters: Council staff said fishers’ on‑the‑water observations—in some cases decades of local knowledge—offer an independent record of ecosystem change that helps managers set research priorities and craft resilience measures. Council staff reported that one outcome of the first round of community meetings was elevating shark depredation as a priority for regional research.

What the council heard
- Observations from fishers: “They've observed climate change decades ago,” contractor facilitator Alex Min said. Fishermen reported shifts in species abundance and timing, more shark interactions (depredation of catches), and reef stress from upland sources.
- Economic pressures: Presenters said rising fuel and other costs, plus imported seafood, affect fishers’ livelihoods and ability to fish sustainably.
- Community recommendations: Participants prioritized youth stewardship, community‑led monitoring programs with small grants, clearer boundary markers to avoid accidental entry into protected areas, and access to working waterfront infrastructure (ice, mechanics and processing) to sustain local fish economies.
- Training and capacity building: The council hosted a seven‑day vocational fisher training in Honolulu in September for five participants from the region (including one from Guam), covering maritime safety, market exposure (Honolulu fish auction and processors) and on‑the‑water skills.

Council next steps and local outreach
Yamada and Alex Min said the council will publish consolidated feedback in a regional report and continue community meetings through March 2026. They announced a shark‑depredation workshop in Guam on Oct. 9. The presenters encouraged villages to host meetings and offered small grants and capacity building where community monitoring or guardianship is feasible.

Direct quotes
“No one knows what's going on better than the fishermen. They're on the water more often than any science, any management, and they're observing with their own eyes,” Alex Min said, summarizing the rationale for community consultation.

What to watch
Local mayors asked about food security and the council’s role in coordinating research or mitigation. The council offered to follow up on food‑security questions and to work with local leaders on workshops and monitoring grants. The council also flagged shark depredation as a top research priority shaped by community input.

Ending: The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council team said it plans three more community meetings in Guam during the current outreach cycle and will return in March 2026 with consolidated findings and proposed next steps for regional managers and local communities.