A M E R I C A N S A M O A ' S
C O R A L R E E F A D V I S O R Y G R O U P
UPDATE: February, 2023
ASCC Scholarship 2023
CRAG IS A COLLABORATION
The Coral Reef Advisory Group (CRAG) coordinates American Samoa’s coral reef management efforts. CRAG is a collaboration of seven local agencies: the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR), the Department of Commerce (DOC)'s Coastal Zone Management Program (AS-CMP), the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa (NMSAS), the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the American Samoa Community College (ASCC), the National Park of American Samoa (NPSA), and the US Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Marine National Monument.
CRAG also collaborates with numerous partners; they include: the NGO Ridge to Reefs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Service Office of Pago Pago, US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO), AS Department of Education, AS Power Authority, AS Port Administration, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Youth and Women’s Affairs, and more. The Office of Samoa Affairs (OSA) is a group comprised of village pulenu’u (mayors) and is the most effective avenue to communicate with the villages of American Samoa. CRAG agencies and partners will continue to use the OSA as the first point of contact when conducting work in villages of American Samoa.
CRAG VISION
American Samoa’s coral reef ecosystems are thriving, valued, and conserved.
CRAG MISSION
CRAG promotes effective coral management through collaboration and strong engagement with partners, leaders, and communities.
MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
The Coral Reef Advisory Group (CRAG) coordinates American Samoa’s coral reef management efforts. Member agencies work together with a vision of thriving, valued, and conserved reefs in the territory. CRAG promotes effective coral management through collaboration and strong engagement with partners, leaders, and communities. We implement various strategies to accomplish this:
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE FISHING
CORAL REEF MONITORING
WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION
CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
FACILITATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE PREPAREDNESS AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCY
Please explore this website for more information on how resource managers in American Samoa use these strategies to conserve coral reef ecosystems.
THE CRAG COORDINATION TEAM
CRAG Coordination is a team of people, based at DMWR, who coordinate collaborative coral management efforts among the CRAG agencies and partners, as well as provide updates on local coral reef ecosystem health. This team includes the:
Coral Reef Ecologist (coral focus) and Monitoring Program Manager
Coral Reef Ecologist (fish focus)
Monitoring Technician
Special Project Coordinator
Invasive Species Coordinator
Coral Reef Resilience Coordinator
National Coral Reef Management Fellow
Education and Outreach Coordinator
and, CRAG Coordinator
CRAG Coordination can be reached at info@crag.as or 684-633-4456.