Blue Ocean Law files comment with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on behalf of Master Navigator Larry Raigetal

Master Navigator Larry Raigetal, photographed in Hagåtña, Guam. Photo courtesy of Katherine Mafnas.

Blue Ocean Law submitted formal comments to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on behalf of Master Navigator Larry Raigetal regarding proposed deep-sea mining activities in the waters off Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The submission emphasized the legal relevance of Indigenous seafaring knowledge, cultural heritage, and long-standing ocean use in evaluating federal proposals to authorize industrial seabed extraction in the region.

The filing explained that Master Navigators like Raigetal actively use the waters surrounding the Marianas Trench as part of a living and ongoing cultural practice that includes wayfinding, inter-island travel, teaching, and ceremonial navigation. This knowledge system is not historical or symbolic, but operational and continuously practiced, with navigators transmitting ocean knowledge, routes, and protocols to younger generations as part of intergenerational cultural continuity.

Blue Ocean Law argued that the federal proposal to authorize deep-sea mining in this area would unlawfully threaten these practices by introducing industrial activity into waters that are integral to Indigenous seafaring and cultural transmission. The comments detailed how BOEM’s analysis fails to adequately account for these uses and raised serious questions about whether the agency has properly considered its obligations under federal environmental statutes and related cultural protection requirements.

By centering the lived experience and expertise of Master Navigators, the submission underscored the need for decision-making processes that recognize Indigenous ocean use as a legally cognizable interest, not merely a cultural consideration. The filing reflects Blue Ocean Law’s broader commitment to protecting Pacific Island communities and ensuring that federal actions affecting the ocean comply with statutory mandates and respect living Indigenous practices.