WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en-US 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:07.760 We all bear responsibility to the place that we call Honua, Mother Earth, because we are all a 00:00:07.760 --> 00:00:15.680 part of it. Not separate, not better than the other, we're all in part as the Kumulipo say, 00:00:15.680 --> 00:00:21.600 we come from the same sources. So that to me is a responsibility, I think, being in this sanctuary 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:27.200 advisory council, that helps me to impart that and hope that those that follow will take on those 00:00:27.200 --> 00:00:32.880 kinds of responsibilities and continue to bridge it generationally so that it's never forgotten. 00:00:37.680 --> 00:00:44.080 The National Marine Sanctuary System is about 620 000 square miles of the ocean and great lakes. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:52.480 It's protected for the resources that are there, but also what those resources mean to a community. 00:00:52.480 --> 00:00:56.720 And one of the interesting things about the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is that 00:00:56.720 --> 00:01:02.160 we're protecting a place not only for species and habitats, but also so that we can educate our 00:01:02.160 --> 00:01:06.880 youth and educate the public at large about what the ocean means and about what these individual 00:01:06.880 --> 00:01:14.000 places mean. It's also an opportunity for us to to make sure that the protections we put in place are 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:19.280 allowing a community to thrive and bringing together the voices and the individuals and 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:25.120 the collective groups of people who matter to this place and that matter to keep that place healthy 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:30.560 for the long haul. I think one of the things I've been really impressed by with the sanctuary is 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:37.200 that sitting on the advisory council I see that they receive input and feedback from a variety 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:41.280 of different stakeholder groups and there are a lot of different voices in that room, 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:45.200 a lot of different perspectives in the room. And the sanctuary staff are hearing 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:49.040 all of those perspectives when they're making decisions about how to manage the sanctuary. 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:55.360 And the council, like all the councils, provides this unique forum for all the stakeholders, 00:01:55.360 --> 00:01:59.840 all the partners who are participating in the marine sanctuary program, to come together 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:07.360 regularly to have really challenging discussions about the current issues to identify future issues 00:02:07.360 --> 00:02:13.120 and to work as a set of partners to help achieve the goals of the sanctuary. It's really never 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:19.120 been more important for us to ensure that we have the right level of protection in place 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:26.960 and, at the same time, recognize the community's needs and what level of importance the sanctuary 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:32.960 represents for that community. I know it's something that I feel proud to be a part of 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:38.640 to be serving on the sanctuary advisory council. Being a fisherman and representing the voice of 00:02:38.640 --> 00:02:44.400 fishing guides at the sanctuary advisory council level. I think we're a big part of 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:49.520 the partnership that it's going to take to protect these important places. I would really encourage 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:54.640 people to come and be part of it. It's the best way to find a solution that works for everyone, 00:02:55.200 --> 00:03:01.760 is to is to come and respectfully listen and then contribute, so they can be part of the solution. 00:03:02.320 --> 00:03:06.960 So what should your role be? Come help us. Right? Be a part of these communities. Be a part 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:11.920 of the decisions that we're trying to make here to protect these places for for my children, 00:03:11.920 --> 00:03:17.200 for your children, for, you know, future generations too. You can do that in numerous ways, 00:03:17.200 --> 00:03:21.760 right? You can step in and be a member of our advisory councils and you can come sit at the 00:03:21.760 --> 00:03:27.200 table and provide input and be a liaison to your community to say what should the Office of 00:03:27.200 --> 00:03:32.000 National Marine Sanctuaries know about this place, why it matters to you, and what we should do to 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:37.040 protect it to the future. With you and with you coming in and being a part of this with us we'll 00:03:37.040 --> 00:03:42.160 make better informed decisions, but we're also going to be growing the capacity we have there 00:03:42.160 --> 00:03:59.840 and being able to make even more of a difference in this place and a place that's important to you.