While the Guam Department of Agriculture has used the Invasive Species Inspection Fee Fund for most of its intended purposes, the agency has not established an invasive species management plan, according to a performance audit from the Office of Public Accountability.
That means the department’s Biosecurity Division has operated without established standards or a structured system for written reports, formal meetings and consistent communication. This has also limited the division’s ability to make legislative recommendations to improve invasive species management, according to auditors.
The fund has been used to hire an invasive species coordinator, establish the Biosecurity Division to inspect incoming freight and suppress and eradicate invasive species.
But without a management plan, there is no centralized or standardized mechanism for reporting results or outcomes, so auditors wrote they could not assess “whether the fund is producing intended results of inspection, quarantine and eradication of invasive species.”
Auditors said the Biosecurity Division has implemented pest detection, surveillance, eradication, research, outreach and response programs, and has identified at least 50 invasive species.
It also processes about 6,000 permits each year for sand and quarried products, eggs, plant products and the destruction of confiscated material.
Although an interim invasive species management plan was developed years ago, it did not meet statutory requirements.
Auditors recommended developing a plan using a public process and consulting the Invasive Species Council to facilitate legislative review. Managers have agreed to expedite plan development.
Failure to meet, deficiencies in accountability
The Invasive Species Council’s failure to meet as mandated is the primary reason it has not fulfilled its responsibilities, according to the audit.
The absence of a plan, “the lack of fines and penalties for invasive species-related crimes, and the failure to make recommendations for program and policy management directly limit the division’s operational capacity,” auditors wrote.
Auditors also found deficiencies in procedures for fee invoice processing, record-keeping, and accountability. The only dated standard operating procedure manual from 2018 is not currently in use and is pending updates.
Appropriation shortfalls have limited the division’s ability to recruit technical staff, and management has transferred staff to other Department of Agriculture divisions funded from other sources.
‘Conflict of interest or appearance of bribery’
The audit noted that on two separate occasions, a construction company has paid 100% of all off-island travel accommodations for the entomologist and requested that the entomologist “assist the company’s environmental manager and other senior managers to inspect, evaluate and collect quarry material and samples that are subject to inspection upon arrival to Guam,” the audit stated.
“During our discussion with the director, we expressed concerns about the high risk of a potential conflict of interest or appearance of bribery. The director and management have agreed to refrain from accepting privately funded travel arrangements from any commercial entity until the matter is addressed with legal counsel,” the audit stated.
Management response
In her response, Department of Agriculture Director Chelsa Muña noted that the Invasive Species Council has met more regularly since 2025, including a meeting in September in which all members were present.
She also said the Biosecurity Division has secured 35 federal grants totaling $6.2 million from fiscal 2017 through fiscal 2025 supporting pest surveys, quarantine inspection and mitigation of the little fire ant, coconut rhinoceros beetle and invasive hornets.
The director concurred with all recommendations made by auditors and will request a written opinion from the Office of the Attorney General on whether off-island inspection of material at a supplier’s site falls within the scope of an entomologist or coordinator’s official duties. She also said the department will ask whether acceptance of travel accommodations paid for by a regulated commercial entity is permitted under ethics and personnel rules, and whether paid administrative leave for such travel is proper.
The department also asked that “the final report continue to state expressly that no public funds were expended for the travel accommodations in question, and the DOAG is not aware of any determination that a shipment was approved or rejected on the basis of who paid for travel.”
The Guam Invasive Species Inspection Fund was established in 2011.
