Our Self-Identity is Linked to Place
Places in the “Hawaiian sense” are inseparably linked to our self-identity to have roots in the soil of permanence and continuity. There’s history in all places across the islands. If you knew the place names, then you knew the history of them.
This is how we discover our spiritual self by the ʻāina, of the ʻāina, and for the ʻāina.
It would serve us well as Indigenous people to these lands, to seek the “sacredness” while accepting present day conditions.
The resistance to Americanization in Hawaiʻi happens only for the selfish reason that this is our home, we belong here. All connections, spiritual and physical, made by us here links us to Ka Pae ʻĀina o Hawaiʻi and our ancestors of long ago who continue to reach out to us because it is our time.
As we keep honoring our wahi pana where we can continue to come together as a people, it preserves our right to self-determination, while we revitalize and restore ourselves to our sense of places.
David Kahalewai
Pālolo, O’ahu
The Tuna Industry in American Samoa
This letter is in response to your article published on May 1, 2025, “Marine National Monument in Jeopardy.”
The Ka Wai Ola article is misleading and attempts to distort the truth regarding tuna fishing and American Samoa’s role in the Western Pacific. Contrary to the article’s assertions, tuna is not being overfished in the waters surrounding American Samoa or elsewhere in the region. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), which governs tuna fishing in this area, bases its rules on rigorous scientific data and confirms that tuna stocks remain healthy and sustainable.
American Samoa has hosted a tuna industry for over 60 years – an industry introduced after World War II and vital to our economic survival. The StarKist cannery in Pago Pago supports more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. Although StarKist’s parent company is based overseas, the company itself is registered and operates legally in both American Samoa and the United States.
To suggest that our economy’s dependence on tuna threatens biodiversity is not only inaccurate – it ignores the sustainability measures already in place. We support conservation, as long as it is science-based and allows for economic balance. The effort to paint us as exploiters of the ocean is disrespectful, factually wrong, and ignores the real economic realities faced by American Samoans.
Sincerely,
Taotasi Archie Soliai
Executive Advisor,
Natural Resources American Samoa Government
Conservation and Commercial Fishing
We write to correct misleading claims made about WPRFMC in the article, “Marine National Monument in Jeopardy.”
The article implies WPRFMC opposes conservation – this is false. We are mandated under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to manage U.S. fisheries sustainably, ensuring stock health and protecting marine ecosystems to support wise use of these resources. We agree that conservation is critical – but it must be guided by sound science and balanced with the needs of Pacific Island communities like American Samoa.
We support the current 0–50-mile closure that remains within the PIHMNM, which continues to protect nearshore ecosystems and biodiversity. Our well-managed longline fleet, which includes kanaka lawaiʻa, is also prohibited from fishing within Papahānaumokuākea and 50-75 miles around the main Hawaiian Islands.
Contrary to the article’s claims, there is no overfishing occurring in American Samoa waters. To suggest otherwise is untrue and unfair to the AS fishing community who depend on these fisheries for their livelihoods and to uphold Faʻa Samoa.
We believe ocean protection and sustainable fishing can – and must – coexist. This is how we honor both the natural heritage of the Pacific and the cultural and economic lifelines of its Indigenous communities, such as American Samoa and Hawaiʻi.
Taulapapa William Sword Seutaʻatia
Kitty M. Simonds
Chair, WPRFMC Executive Director, WPRFMC and Kanaka
Taotasi Archie Soliai Roger Dang
American Samoa Vice Chair,
WPRFMC Hawaiʻi Vice Chair, WPRFMC
Dr. Judith Guthertz Sylvan Igisomar
Guam Vice Chair, WPRFMC CNMI Vice Chair, WPRFMC
