Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

Ocean is not a resource to exploit…it’s part of our identity as Samoans
At the meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council in Honolulu on Monday, a statement opposing deepsea mining in American Samoan waters was presented by Utumapu Dr. Andrew Pati Ah Young. Utumapu has a PhD in Biological...

Military bill neglects Hawaii’s needs, Case says
U.S. Rep. Ed Case is blasting military appropriation legislation that is moving through the House of Representatives as “shortchanging” priorities critical to Hawaii, including environmental cleanup and military infrastructure. On Wednesday,...

Leone High School 2025 Commencement graduates 113
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The pride of Leone High School roared once more as 113 graduates took center stage in a spectacular graduation ceremony held this morning at the school's gymnasium — the beloved Home of the Lions. The LHS Class of...

Concern in Samoa about deep sea mining around Am Samoa
Samoa Conservation Society President James Atherton has called for great care after the United States government announced plans to consider a lease for deep sea mining off shore of American Samoa. Samoa Observer newspaper reports Atherton said...

'Act responsibly for humankind' — Palau president on deep sea mining
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Palau's president says the US to fast-track deep sea mining is not a good idea. Deep sea mining frontrunner The Metals Company (TMC) has since confirmed it will not apply for a mining license through the International...

Concerns raised regarding deep-seabed mining in Am Samoa waters
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Opposition from members of the public has continued to pour in regarding deep-seabed mining on or around American Samoa’s offshore waters since the Department of the Interior moved to consider issuing or selling a...

Pacific fishery council asks Trump to free up Hawaii’s newest marine sanctuary
By Pacific Island Times News Staff The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will ask President Donald Trump to lift fishing restrictions within Hawaii’s newest marine sanctuary, in line with his administration’s policy to recharge...

Wealth beneath the waves: US takes a step toward promoting deep-sea mining amid concerns in the Pacific
Around 16,404 feet beneath the northern Pacific Ocean, the whole seabed—stretching around 4,500 miles from east to west—is littered with potato-sized chunks of what look like charcoal lumps called polymetallic nodules. Rich in metals such as...

ASEPA participates in Circle Expo 2025 in Samoa
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (AS-EPA) represented American Samoa in this year's inaugural Circularity, Innovation, Recovery, Culture, Learning, and Environment (CIRCLE) Expo 2025 hosted by the...

DOH seeks to regulate tattooing activités in the Territory
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Department of Health (DOH) is initiating a regulatory framework to oversee tattooing activities throughout the territory. This will encompass commercial tattoo parlors as well as culturally traditional tattooing...

Under pressure: pessimism ahead of session of Seabed Authority
The International Seabed Authority continues the 30th session meetings at the end of this month, meeting in various sessions almost every day until a full Assembly in Kingston, Jamaica, from 21 to 25 July. The provisional agenda of the Assembly...

Hawaiʻi Scientist Has Bad — And Good — News About Future Of Coral Reefs
As coral reefs undergo a fourth global mass bleaching event, marine scientists have been studying whether new reefs might form in higher latitudes as the tropics become too warm. Tropical reefs might look like inanimate rock, but these colorful...

Budget Office requests $15 million from ARPA to cover reduction in FY2026 budget
The Executive Branch is absorbing a reduction of $30 million in the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget for ASG, and then Acting Budget Director Satia Aokuso Satia requested $15 million in ARPA funding to help cover the reduction. Satia made the...

ASEPA participates in Circle Expo 2025
American Samoa’s ban on the importation and sale of polystyrene foam containers was the topic of a presentation by staff of the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency at an event hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional...

“A POTATO-SHAPED ROCK”, this is what deep sea mining is all about
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The waters around the Pacific Ocean territory are estimated to contain large amounts of potato-shaped rocks filled with the building blocks for electric vehicles and other electronics. Deposits of these polymetallic...

Marine energy: Harnessing the power of the Atlantic
Issue Brief June 10, 2025 • 9:02 am ET Print this page Marine energy: Harnessing the power of the Atlantic By William Yancey Brown Following a decade-long partnership, the Policy Center for the New South and the Atlantic Council have joined forces...

Growing opposition to seabed mining
A former Director of Education and former Director of Marine and Wildlife Resources has added her voice to those opposing seabed mining in waters in and around American Samoa. Dr Ruth Matagi-Tofiga, an educator and biologist said in a statement,...

Former Gov. Lolo asks Amata to lead charge against deep-sea mining
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Former Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga has appealed to Congresswoman Uifa’atali Aumua Amata to consider the negative impact of deep-sea mining near the waters of American Samoa, and “lead our charge to ward off...

Seabed mining proposal on agenda of Fisheries Council
When the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council convenes June 9–11 in Honolulu one of the issues on the agenda is seabed mining offshore American Samoa The Council will hear from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on a new...

Eight out of 18 graduates of PHS receive ASG scholarships
Eight of the 18 graduates of Pacific Horizons School have been awarded ASG scholarships. Six are off-island scholarships and two are for study at the American Samoa Community College. The scholarship recipients signed their letters of award with...