| Delegate Seeks Nomination of VI As Fishing Communities The STFA and Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress, Donna Christian-Christiansen has requested US Secretary of Commerce to designate St. Croix and St. Thomas/St. John as "Fishing Communities" since 2005. Delegation would provide protection under National Standard 8 of the Magnusan-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and prevent implementation of fishery management measures without full consideration of their socio-economic impacts. The Nomination Letter came following release of a long awaited socio-economic study of the St. Croix fishing community and a similar study just finalised for St. Thomas/St. John by NMFS socio-economist Brent Stoffle. NMFS response has been to stall on the entire issue until, following an STFA letter to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, the CFMC finally voted to designate St. Thomas/St. John, St. Croix and a number of Puerto Rican fishing villages as "Fishing Communities" at it's 136th meeting on 15 December, 2010. |