Community Development Plans

Submitting a Community Development Plan to the
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and National Marine
Fisheries Service
Guidance for Proposal Writers

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
Phone: 808–522–8220
www.wpcouncil.org

November 2014

BACKGROUND
This document provides general and basic guidance to those writing and submitting a proposed
community development plan (CDP) to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management
Council (Council) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). It does not address
requirements for proposals submitted as Western Pacific Demonstration Projects. The
background and details of the Western Pacific Community Development Program, including
Western Pacific Demonstration Projects, are described in Amendment 1 to the fishery ecosystem
plans for American Samoa, Hawaii, the Mariana Archipelago, and western Pacific pelagic
fisheries (the amendment is identical for each plan). Amendment 1 is available from the Western
Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI
96813. Telephone: 808–522–8220; fax: 808–522–8226; or www.wpcouncil.org.
The National Marine Fisheries Service established eligibility requirements and procedures for
reviewing and approving community development plans for western Pacific fisheries in 2002 1.
The intent of such plans is to allow island communities to propose projects that would help
overcome barriers to continued and substantial participation in fisheries that they have
traditionally depended upon. This may include the direct or incidental harvest of management
unit species, or harvest in restricted areas, that would otherwise be prohibited.
Adherence to this informal guidance should allow for timely review by the Council and the
NMFS Regional Administrator. The purpose of these reviews is to ensure that a plan proposal
contains all required information, meets the intent of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and is
consistent with relevant federal law. Since part of the review process is likely to include an
environmental review, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the
applicant is encouraged to provide specific and comprehensive information regarding each of the
required proposal elements described below. Failure to do so will delay the review process.
A sample proposal outline for community development plans is appended to this document.
For assistance with writing a community development plan proposal or once the applicant feels
that the proposed community development plan is ready for formal review by the Council and
NMFS, contact:
Mr. Charles Ka‘ai‘ai, Indigenous Coordinator
Email: Charles.Kaaiai@noaa.gov
Phone: 808–522–8220

1

Federal Register Notice Vol. 75, No. 171 (75 FR 54044), September 3, 2011. Available from the Western Pacific
Fishery Management Council or online at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/search.html

GUIDANCE
Federal regulations require the applicant to provide several pieces of information in the
community development plan proposal before it can considered complete by the Council or
analyzed by the NMFS. This guidance was prepared to assist those interested in developing a
community development plan proposal.
Please prepare your proposal according to the following guidance and using 12 pt. Times New
Roman font. Once the Council determines the proposal is complete, the Executive Director will
transmit it to the Pacific Islands Regional Office of the National Marine Fisheries Service for
assessment and action.

1. Eligibility
Those communities eligible to participate in the western Pacific community development
program community must meet the following criteria:
1. Be located in American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, or the Northern Mariana Islands (collectively, the
western Pacific);
2. Consist of community residents descended from aboriginal people indigenous to the western
Pacific who conducted commercial or subsistence fishing using traditional fishing practices in the
waters of the western Pacific;
3. Consist of individuals who reside in their ancestral homeland;
4. Have knowledge of customary practices relevant to fisheries of the western Pacific;
5. Have a traditional dependence on fisheries of the western Pacific; and
6. Are currently experiencing economic or other constraints that have prevented full participation in
western Pacific fisheries and, in recent years, have not had harvesting, processing or marketing
capability sufficient to support substantial participation in fisheries in the area.

The applicant should provide information regarding he or his group meet these requirements in a
section entitled “Eligibility of Applicant” at the beginning of the community development plan
proposal. A description of how the community and or its members meet each of the eligibility
criteria should be located in this section, as well as: a) details about the degree of involvement in
the project by the indigenous community members, and b) the name, address, telephone and
other contact information of each individual conducting the proposed fishing activity.
Proposals must be submitted by an applicant who is authorized as a representative of a qualifying
community, an organization of indigenous peoples, or an entity serving such communities or
organizations. These may include institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations and
charitable foundations that are recognized as such by competent authority, for-profit commercial
parties, state and local governments, or other authorized instruments of governance.

Where the applicant is an individual, such eligibility must be provided in written documentation
that identifies the named individual, his/her relationship with a community eligible to participate
in the grant program, and the scope of his/her authority to act on behalf of that community.
Where the applicant is an eligible non-profit organization, which has not previously received
NOAA support, it must submit proof of its status with its application. Any of the following
would give evidence of such status:
x
x
x
x
x

A reference to the applicant in the Internal Revenue Service's most recent list of tax-exempt
organizations under Section 501(c) of the IRS Code;
A copy of a currently valid IRS tax exemption certificate on which the applicant is named;
A statement from a state taxing authority or state's attorney general certifying that the applicant
has non-profit status and that none of the net earnings accrue to any private shareholder;
A certified copy of the organization's certificate of incorporation or similar document that clearly
establishes nonprofit status; or
Any of the above proof regarding a parent organization, if one exists, and a statement signed by
the parent organization that the applicant is a local nonprofit affiliate.

2. Statement of Plan Purpose and Goals
The purpose of the proposed community development plan should be clearly described in this
section. Note, the applicant will be asked to provide justification for the community
development plan in Section 4, so the language describing the purpose can be fairly succinct.
This section should also describe the community development plan’s goals (i.e, exactly what the
applicant seeks to accomplish if the proposal is approved).

3. Description of the Specific Fishing Activity Being Proposed
3.1 Overview
This section should generally describe the type of fishing activity that is being proposed. The
applicant will have an opportunity to provide more specific regarding the fishing activity below.
3.2 Location of the Proposed Fishing Activity
This section should include as many details about the location of fishing activity as may be
known at the time the proposal was developed. This may include commercial fishing grids,
latitude/longitude information or other, as well as any areas within those grids that may be
disproportionally utilized. Detail and specificity regarding proposed fishing activity location(s)
will help streamline the community development plan proposal review process.
In cases where the proposed activity would be conducted on or near places that the applicant
does not wish to divulge specifically (for example, traditional fishing koa locations), the
applicant may identify fishing location(s) more generally. The purpose of identifying fishing

locations is to allow the proposal to evaluated in terms of known areas of protected species and
habitats of concern.

3.3 Management Unit Species to be Harvested and Any Potential Bycatch
The proposed plan must provide the management unit species (MUS) that will be targeted as
well as species that have the potential to be incidentally caught or caught as bycatch by the
proposed fishing activity. MUS refers to managed species designated as such by the Council its
one or more of its management plans. Detailed life history and status is not necessary in the
proposed community development plan and it is acceptable to refer to the reader to documents
that contain such information, such as the Fishery Ecosystem Plans available from the Council.
3.4 Gear type(s) to be Used
The proposed CDP must contain a comprehensive description of the type of fishing gear to be
used. For example, the applicants should describe:
x Length of lines
x Number and size of hooks
x Number and size of traps
x Mesh size of netting
x Bait type
The proposal should also describe the details of how that gear will be operated.
3.5 Frequency and Duration of the Proposed Fishing Activity
The proposed CDP must contain information about how often the gear will be deployed (by the
most relevant period – day, week, or month) and how long the gear will be deployed before
retrieval. If the gear is to be deployed as part of a mixed fishing trip (a trip that uses other gear
types and/or targets other species), the proposed CDP should clearly describe how the proposed
fishing activity fits within the larger fishing trip.

4. Justification for the Specific Fishing Activity Being Proposed
This section should provide comprehensive rationale that justifies the approval of the plan. The
constraints that the applicant faces in terms of participating in the desired fishery or sub-fishery
should be clearly described in this section. This is particularly important, especially in cases
where exemptions from regulations are being requested. Because such exemptions will typically
only be granted for certain circumstances, inadequate information to support proposed fishing
activity may result in disapproval. For example, if an applicant wishes to fish in a closed area,
he should describe exactly why it is not feasible to conduct the proposed fishing activity outside
of that area. Multiple reasons usually make a stronger case for approval.
The proposal should provide supporting detail for any claim or assertion.

5. Vessel information

If a vessel is to be used in the proposed fishing activities, the following information must be
provided in the CDP. If no vessel is to be used, this section should remain in the proposal, but
should state “Not applicable.”
1. Vessel name and official number (USCG documentation, state, territory, or other registration
number)
2. Vessel length overall, displacement, and fish holding capacity
3. Any valid federal fishing permit number(s)

4. Name, address, and telephone number of the vessel owner(s) and operator(s)
6. Submitting the Proposal
The applicant should send a hardcopy of the final proposal, along with an introductory letter, to:
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
Attention: Kitty Simonds, Executive Director
1164 Bishop St, Ste., 1400
Honolulu, HI

The applicant may also email a copy of same to:
Mr. Charles Ka‘ai‘ai, Indigenous Coordinator
Email: Charles.Kaaiai@noaa.gov

APPENDIX
Suggested Community Development Plan Proposal Outline
(In 11 pt or 12 pt Times New Roman font)

Title Page
“Western Pacific Community Development Plan Proposal”
Proposal Name
“Submitted to the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council by”
Applicant Name and contact information
Date
1. Eligibility of Applicant
2. Statement of Plan Purpose and Goals
3. Description of the Specific Fishing Activity Being Proposed
3.1 Overview
3.2 Location of the Proposed Fishing Activity
3.3 Management Unit Species to be Harvested and Any Potential Bycatch
3.4 Gear type(s) to be Used
3.5 Frequency and Duration of the Proposed Fishing Activity
4. Justification for the Specific Fishing Activity Being Proposed

5. Vessel information