Following a proposal released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, six species of giant clams are now listed under the Endangered Species Act. Three of these clam species are native to Guam and are widely known for their use of creating local jewelry such as the sinahi.

Guam delegate James Moylan expressed his concern as adding these clams to the ESA list would make it illegal to:

Harvest, collection, killing, or injury of the endangered species
Possession or sale of species or products that were collected illegally
Import and export of specimens or derivative products, such as meat that has been cut from the shell, shell carvings, or pearls
Release of captive specimens into the wild.

Exceptions would only be provided for scientific research or the assistance in the recovery of the species. Despite the request from Delegate Moylan, NOAA has expressed that no exceptions shall be provided for the cultural use of these six species.

“This decision by NOAA, needs to be reconsidered from a cultural perspective as well. Our office is requesting for some consideration from NOAA’s leadership, and this would include seeking outside the box ideas such as funding aquaculture preserves for these clams. While we recognize the scientific analysis in their decision, particularly since NOAA claims that very few of the clams native to Guam are found in the wild, there needs to be a delicate balance to allow certain cultural usage, while also preserving the species,” said Moylan.

NOAA has extended a public comment period, which started on Monday, July 29, and will extend until October 23, 2024.

Delegate Moylan encourages island residents to participate and share their thoughts, and they can through Electronic Submissions, using NOAA-NMFS-2017 in the search box and clicking the comment icon.

You can also submit written comments to Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources (F/PR3), National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA, Attn: Giant Clams Species Listing Proposed Rule.

NOAA also plans on holding both in-person and virtual public hearings, and those dates will be announced in the coming weeks.