CNMI DLNR Marine Turtle Project

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Dept of Land and Natural Resource (DLNR) has a Marine Turtle Project which consists of nesting beach monitoring and nearshore marine capture-mark-recapture sea turtle program on the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota within the (CNMI). The program operates with relevant NMFS & Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) permits to cover research activities and stranding program.

The purpose of the project is to: 1) build local capacity to manage and implement standardized monitoring and research activities; 2) establish long-term monitoring at index sites to advance demographic information for population assessments; and 3) promote conservation and management efforts. Provide technical capacity through contractual services. Facilitate and encourage CNMI territory government and local partners to draft a locally-relevant marine turtle conservation and management plan and apply for ESA Section 6 funding to receive full programmatic support for their protected species program.

CNMI Dept of Land and Natural Resource (DLNR). Collaborators: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Marine Turtle Ecology and Assessment Program, MINA or other non-government organizations (NGO) partners, Pacific Marine Resources Institute (PMRI)

Lead funding agency: Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO), Protected Resources Division (PRD)