Summer
1998
Sustainable
Seas Expeditions Will Explore Sanctuaries
Agenda for the Oceans Released
Noted Marine Explorer to Visit Sanctuary
Coast Guard Auxiliary-Sanctuary Flotilla Formed
Sanctuary Currents
Update on Northern Right Whales--A Species on the
Brink
Education Digest
Understanding the Demand for Whalewatching in the
Sanctuary
Fishery Closure Provides Unique Research Opportunity
From Sea to Shining Sea -- News from the Nation's Marine
Sanctuaries
Sanctuary Studies--White-sided Dolphins 101
Sustainable
Seas Expeditions Will Explore Sanctuaries
The nation's
12 National Marine Sanctuaries, including Stellwagen Bank, will be the
sites for a new research and education initiative entitled "Sustainable
Seas Expeditions."
This five-year,
multi-million dollar private-public partnership initiated by the National
Geographic Society, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will explore the huge underwater
rim of the United States embraced within the Exclusive Economic Zone
(within 200 miles of the coast) with emphasis on the nation's National
Marine Sanctuaries. National Marine Sanctuaries are often considered
the aquatic equivalents of U.S. National Parks or National Forests.
The Sustainable
Seas Expeditions will use new submersibles and special deep water research
techniques to link observations made at sea to a communication network
among various institutions and classrooms across the country. Dr. Sylvia
Earle, a noted marine explorer and scientist, will lead the expeditions
into the sanctuaries' watery depths. She will be working from "Deep
Worker," a one-person craft with a clear acrylic dome over the
pilot's head and shoulders, a touch-screen control system, photo
and video capabilities and mechanical arms for collecting samples.
A second
Deep Worker with a Sanctuary staff scientist or Sanctuary-affiliated
researcher will accompany Dr. Earle on her dives for technical support
and safety requirements.
The goals
of this program are to: explore the nation's underwater realms;
to create awareness about the inextricable link between human health
and ocean health; and to inspire an ethic of care and protection for
the natural aquatic systems that are vital to human needs.
"This
systematic exploration of the nation's marine sanctuaries will provide
new insights into how ocean systems operate," reports Brad Barr,
Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary Manager. "In some cases, Deep Worker
dives will explore areas previously unseen by human eyes," he notes.
"But in other sites, including Stellwagen Bank, the dives will
provide supplementary data that can help scientists better interpret
information collected in previous research cruises."
Although
all of the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary has been mapped through recent
U.S. Geological Survey and National Undersea Research Center cruises,
less than five percent of the global sea has been fully explored. The
outgrowth of this exploration, both local and global, has led to an
ever expanding set of questions about physical and biological processes
rather than a definitive set of answers. The more we find out, the more
we realize how complicated our planet's oceans really are and how
much of an effect they have on our everyday lives. The 1997-98 El Nino
phenomenon confirmed the powerful influence the seas have on the planet.
In recent years, awareness has grown of the significance of the ocean
as the driving force behind climate, weather, planetary chemistry and
fundamental life support functions.
The Sustainable
Seas Expeditions program is a public-private alliance forged by the
urgent need for a national commitment to assess and understand the nature
of the sea in ways that fully complement the nation's commitment
to the exploration of space.
In this
cooperative initiative, most of the financial burden will be met through
contributions from private foundations and industry. Support from the
U.S. government will come primarily from the reallocation of existing
resources to facilitate the effort.
An initial
grant of $5 million has been made by the San Francisco-based Goldman
Fund, which has been complemented by a $775,000 commitment from the
National Geographic Society, along with significant in-kind communication
and outreach resources. NOAA will contribute in-kind personnel, ship
support and other services and expertise totaling approximately $2.5
million.
Since
the announcement of this program in April, several major marine institutions
have indicated their willingness to help support the Expeditions, including:
the U.S. Navy; NASA (through the Mission to Planet Earth program); the
Jason Foundation; the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute; Mote
Marine Laboratory; the Center for Marine Conservation and the Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution. Discussions are underway with other
agencies, foundations, educational and research institutions and industry
to further aid the program.
Notwithstanding
its great research and education potential, the most important benefit
of the Sustainable Seas Expeditions program will be to focus public
attention on the importance of the ocean to all of us, and thus inspire
a national commitment to understand and care for the natural systems
that sustain us.
Top
Agenda
for the Oceans Released
The Center
for Marine Conservation and over 120 other groups released an Agenda
for the Oceans that spells out the most important actions the United
States must take to protect its ocean waters and wildlife. Sent to President
Clinton on May 27th, the groups called for adoption of the recommendations
at the National Oceans Conference in Monterey, California on June 11-12.
Listed
on the Agenda were the following action items: protect and restore America's
ocean waters and public health by strengthening the Clean Water Act;
revitalize America's marine fisheries by stopping overfishing, reducing
bycatch and protecting essential fish habitats; protect endangered marine
wildlife by strengthening and adequately funding the Endangered Species
Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act; expand and strengthen the national
marine sanctuaries and protect other critical marine areas; protect
America's coral reefs; spur international efforts to protect the
oceans by ratifying and implementing the Law of the Sea and other agreements;
fashion a U.S. ocean policy for the 21st century that promotes stewardship
and education by passing the Oceans Act of 1997 and creating an Ocean
Policy Commission; increase funding for ocean research and management;
eliminate federal subsidies for activities that harm the environment
such as federal flood insurance for development on environmentally sensitive
coastal barrier islands; and explore America's marine waters to
fully inventory and map wildlife and habitats.
Among
the more than 120 groups participating in the development of the Agenda
were: the Natural Resources Defense Council, American Oceans Campaign,
Seaweb, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace and the World Wildlife
Fund.
Noted
Marine Explorer to Visit Sanctuary
Marine
biologist Sylvia Earle – sometimes known as "Her Deepness"
– is the 1998 explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic
Society. A major focus of her work for the Society will be support for
the new multi-year Sustainable Seas Expeditions.
Dr. Earle
has pioneered research on the ecology of marine ecosystems and had led
more than 50 expeditions, amounting to 6,000 hours underwater. She also
holds numerous diving records, including several to depths of 3,000
feet in a one-man submersible called "Deep Rover."
As explorer-in-residence
to National Geographic and Project Director for the Sustainable Seas
Expeditions, Dr. Earle will be using, what she calls "an elegant
cross between a submersible and a diving suit" to reach depths
of 2,000 feet in the sanctuaries. Her dives in the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary
will be a lot more shallow, perhaps 200-300 feet. Those dives are tentatively
scheduled for October 1999 for observations of fish populations in rock
reefs that cannot be observed through traditional submersible or remotely-operated-vehicle
operations.
In preparation
for those future dives, Dr. Earle is touring the sanctuaries this summer
and fall to understand issues and touch base with sanctuary staff, researchers,
educators and the public. The former chief scientist for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (1990-1992) is scheduled to visit
Stellwagen Bank later in the summer.
Born on
August 30, 1935 in Gibbstown, N.J., Sylvia Earle earned a bachelor's
degree from Florida State University and a master's and doctorate
from Duke University. She has also been awarded nine honorary doctoral
degrees. She is the author of the 1995 book, "Sea Change."
Dr. Earle
follows two other explorers-in-residence: polar explorer Will Steger
(1996) and high-altitude archaeologist Johan Reinhard (1997). Explorers-in-residence
work at the National Geographic Society's Washington, D.C. headquarters
on scientific research projects, exhibits, lectures, magazine and television
projects and books. They also carry out exploration under the banner
of the Society.
Top
Coast
Guard Auxiliary–Sanctuary Flotilla Formed
A flotilla
of Coast Guard Auxiliarists will be patrolling the Sanctuary this summer
as part of a new and unique interagency partnership.
The Sanctuary,
administered under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
of the Department of Commerce, and the Coast Guard, under the Department
of Transportation, have agreed to pool resources and support a new flotilla
dedicated to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Coast Guard
Auxiliary flotillas are usually based in single home ports or in small
regions. In this case, the flotilla of boats will be berthed in various
locations along the coast, but will be charged with patrolling the Sanctuary,
located totally within federal waters between Cape Ann and Cape Cod.
Both sea and air patrols will be supported.
The First
Coast Guard District had been providing patrols in the Sanctuary as
the primary enforcement arm, focusing on sanctuary regulations and endangered
species violations. However, Brad Barr, Sanctuary manager, requested
additional support because of the large concentration of boats in Sanctuary
waters and the large expanse (842 square miles or 638 square nautical
miles) of the site.
The solution
was to make use of the Coast Guard's large volunteer force. While
not capable of any direct law enforcement actions, the Auxiliary can
report and document violations to appropriate Coast Guard units or Sanctuary
personnel. The primary mission, however, will be to provide education
to boaters and to monitor Sanctuary resources.
This tasking
of the Auxiliary was made possible under a 1996 law which encompassed
support of Coast Guard civil missions, including marine safety and security,
environmental protection, and support of other federal agencies. The
Auxiliary boat and plane patrols will check to see that Sanctuary regulations
are being followed and will note the presence of marine mammals. This
timely presence will give the Sanctuary a better picture of visitor
uses of the area, and provide a visible presence to deter potential
violations of regulations.
Auxiliary
vessels and aircraft are also authorized to provide platforms for support
of Sanctuary research, including whale behavior studies, tagging programs,
water quality and other environmental monitoring. The crews will provide
outreach to the boating public through distribution of Sanctuary-prepared
literature packets and personal communication. The Sanctuary staff will
play a major role in the Auxiliary training program. In an additional
training opportunity, several whalewatching operations have donated
passage to Auxiliarists to familiarize them with the environment. Companies
participating in the program are: Yankee Fleet (Gloucester), Boston
Harbor Cruises and New England Aquarium Whalewatch (Boston), Captain
Mac (Scituate), Captain John Boats (Plymouth), and Dolphin Fleet (Provincetown).
Only certain
Auxiliary vessels will be allowed to join the Sanctuary flotilla. These
boats must be at least 32 feet in length and contain a minimum qualified
boat crew of four (one of whom may be a trainee). One qualified Sanctuary
Observer must also be aboard.
The Sanctuary
is providing two sets of transferable gear for use on the patrols. These
kits will include inflatable rafts, video cameras, pumps and other safety
and monitoring equipment. Patrols will begin this summer and continue
into the fall.
Sanctuary
Currents
Sanctuary
to Begin Management Plan Review this Fall
Management plans are the site-specific documents that the National Marine
Sanctuary Program uses to manage individual sanctuaries. These plans
set priorities, contain regulations, present existing programs and projects,
and guide the development of future activities. Beginning this fall,
the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary will begin its management
plan review. We are the second sanctuary to undergo this process which
is expected to take about 18 months from inception to production of
a revised plan. Public involvement through open meetings, scoping sessions
and written comments will be sought throughout the process. Members
of the sanctuary community can assist us by identifying issues and potential
solutions, reviewing the draft management plan and providing us with
comments and recommendations for the final plan. If you are interested
in participating in this process, please return the survey form on page
2 of this newsletter with the appropriate box checked off.
New
Issue of Gulf of Maine Times Available
The summer issue of the Gulf of Maine Times, a publication produced
by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, is now available.
Articles in the issue include: groundfish surveys by the National Marine
Fisheries Service, mud flat ecosystems, eelgrass, and ballast water
as a vehicle for the invasion of exotic species. For a free subscription
to this publication, contact the Times editor at: Gulf of Maine Times,
20 Park Plaza, Suite 1112, Boston, MA 02116, phone 617-728-0543, fax
617-728-0545, e-mail sfried@world.std.com.
Sanctuary
Monitoring Studied at MIT
Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed
an extensive monitoring plan for the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary as part
of a graduate class in ocean engineering. Funded by MIT Sea Grant, the
project provided the Sanctuary with a well researched plan at no cost
to the Sanctuary and gave the class experience in a real-life situation.
The program is the subject of an article in the Fall/Winter 1997 issue
of NOR'EASTER, Magazine of the Northeast Sea Grant Programs. The
magazine is available on-line at http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/region/NOREASTER/index.html.
For a free copy of the publication, contact the editors at: NOR'EASTER,
University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Sea Grant, Narragansett, RI
02882-1197, or e-mail noreaster@gsosun1.gso.uri.edu.
Humpback
Disentanglement Succeeds
What do you do when you see a whale tied up in line? You call the pros.
The pros are the whale disentanglement team of the Center for Coastal
Studies in Provincetown, Mass., the only federally licensed organization
on the east coast that can perform these rescues.
On Friday,
May 15, a whalewatch vessel out of Gloucester, the Miss Cape Ann, spotted
a whale anchored by gillnet gear which was wrapped around its tail.
The whale was located about six miles north of Provincetown in the southwestern
corner of the Sanctuary. With easy access (compared to many other rescues
further out at sea) the team was able to make its way via 15-foot inflatable
to the whale as several whalewatch and Coast Guard vessels kept watch.
The team attached buoys to the gear to keep the whale from diving. As
the whale tired, the rescuers were able to get close enough to cut away
several of the lines. As the whale sped away, rescuers followed close
behind for several miles to determine that all of the gear had fallen
off and could not present further problems.
The heavy
gear was marked with buoys to allow recovery by the National Marine
Fisheries Service. Since the area was officially closed to gillnet gear
up until that date, the Fisheries Service wants to know if the whale
dragged the gear in from legal fishing areas or was caught in illegally
set nets. Regulations on legal gillnets require modifications to limit
the possibility of entanglement. If this was that type of gear, the
researchers would like to determine why it did not work as expected.
If boaters
should come across an entangled whale they should never attempt a disentanglement
on their own. A call to the disentanglement HOTLINE at 800-900-3622
or the Coast Guard will alert the proper authorities. The boater can
assist the effort by staying on station to keep track of the whale and
providing up-to-date tracking information to the rescue team.
Recreational
Fishing Survey In Development
The National Marine Fisheries Service is currently accepting proposals
from contractors who are interested in conducting the 1999-2001 Marine
Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey. The survey will be conducted
through telephone interviews of 283,000 households and 56,000 dockside
interviews with fishermen. The survey has been conducted since 1979
and is used to help assess how recreational fishing benefits the nation's
economy and to provide trends in landings and angler participation in
fisheries. Previous surveys indicate that more than 200 million pounds
of fish are taken eah year on about 70 million saltwater fishing trips
by 17 million marine anglers.
Hurricane
Season Starts
June 1 marked the start of the 1998 Hurricane Season. NOAA's National
Hurricane Center near Miami, Florida keeps a constant watch on oceanic
storm-breeding areas for tropical disturbances that may herald the formation
of a hurricane. If a disturbance intensifies into a tropical storm (with
rotary circulation and wind speeds above 39 miles per hour), the Center
will give the storm a name. The 1998 list of names, agreed upon during
meetings of the World Meteorologica Organization, are: Alex, Bonnie,
Charley, Danielle, Earl, Frances, Georges, Hermine, Ivan, Jeanne, Karl,
Lisa, Mitch, Nicole, Otto, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tomas, Virginie, Walter.
Top
Update
on Northern Right Whales – A Species on the Brink
The numbers
from the calving grounds this past winter were not exactly encouraging
“ possibly five mother-calf pairs and one calf that was stillborn or
died shortly after birth. Bad weather and poor sighting conditions may
have contributed to the low numbers, but few sightings of calves in
northern waters this spring (and none in Cape Cod Bay) seem to reinforce
the pessimism.
Today,
the northern right whale is probably the great whale closest to extinction,
with only about 300 individuals in the North Atlantic population and
even fewer in the North Pacific. With this knowledge, and the fact that
the number one known cause of right whale deaths is collisions with
ships, researchers and regulators developed a ship reporting program
for U.S. critical habitats.
President
Supports Reporting
On April 23, President Clinton approved the proposal and will submit
it to the International Maritime Organization for their consideration
and approval. The plan would require commercial vessels over 150 feet
or 300 gross tons to report to the Coast Guard when entering either
the northeast critical habitat (encompassing the Great South Channel,
southern Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary and Cape Cod Bay) or southeastern
habitat (Georgia and north Florida). Reporting information includes
name, call sign, course, speed, location and destination. The report
would trigger an automatic response from the Coast Guard with basic
information on right whales and most up-to-date information on sightings.
The President's
support for the program overrode objections from advisers in the Department
of Defense and National Security Council who feared loss of security
for military ships. Another argument focused on the idea that other
countries might attempt to impose reporting zones and limit freedom
of navigation. The wording of the proposal attempts to minimize this
threat by stipulating that this reporting requirement is an "extraordinary
measure" and not a trivial action. It should be noted that there
already are several reporting areas in other parts of the world, most
notably the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Supporters suggest the
military's objections could be solved by having voluntary reporting
by Navy vessels so that they would be indistinguishable from other ships
at sea, and the suspension of reporting during times of conflict.
The International
Maritime Organization, based in London, is responsible for international
shipping regulations. The proposal will be submitted in July. This is
the first time a whale protection measure has been proposed to this
governing body. Approval, if it does happen, may take several months,
with implementation beginning in July 1999.
Shipping/Right
Whale Workshop
Also in April, the New England Aquarium held a Shipping/Right Whale
Workshop for which Sanctuary manager Brad Barr was one of the plenary
speakers and chair of the education working group. Recommendations emanating
from this workshop included the need: to develop and distribute educational
materials to the shipping industry as soon as possible and to develop
whale avoidance procedures for inclusion in the International Safety
Management Code; to delineate critical habitats on NOAA charts and in
other shipping publications (Coast Pilot, Guide to Port Entry); to evaluate
the feasibility for expanding the Early Warning Network of aerial overflights
for whale sightings; to evaluate other technologies for whale detection
or to deter whales from entering dangerous areas; and to study the feasibility
of shifting traffic lanes to avoid whale concentrations.
A first
step towards these goals is a right whale information brochure for mariners
developed by the Center for Coastal Studies and the International Fund
for Animal Welfare with funding from MassPort and the Gulf of Maine
Council on the Marine Environment. A sticker for recreational boaters
is being developed by IFAW and the Sanctuary.
Right
Whale Alerts Issued for Second Year in Northeast
This year the National Marine Fisheries Service intensified its efforts
at locating right whales in the northeastern critical habitat with more
numerous aerial surveys. The plane (and occasional helicopter) patrols
also gathered vital research information about distribution, reproduction,
as well as potential entanglements and mortalities. As in the southern
habitat, inclement weather kept many planes grounded. But sufficient
flights showed a minimum of 85 right whales in and around Cape Cod Bay
between January 4 and April 22, and unexpected concentrations of whales
in areas off Block Island and Long Island. In early March, about 30
whales were seen subsurface skim feeding in Provincetown Harbor. Whales
continue to feed on copepod patches in the Great South Channel, directly
within the east coast shipping lanes.
Sanctuary
Sponsors High Speed Vessel Workshop
With an increasing number of high speed vessels crossing Gulf of Maine
waters at speeds of 40 knots and more, whale researchers have begun
to voice concerns. Are the boats going too fast to spot surfacing whales?
Can they stop or change course in time to avoid a collision? Are boat
noises causing acoustic problems in the ocean? One particular fear was
that the use of a high speed ferry to cross the Bay of Fundy (a primary
summer feeding and breeding ground for the right whale). In an effort
to clarify issues, the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary hosted a May 11 workshop.
As a result
of the meeting, whalewatch operators agreed to meet again to discuss
self-regulation measures. And the ferry service in the Bay of Fundy
has hired a consulting firm to develop a voluntary whale avoidance plan.
Top
Education
Digest
Mall
Sponsors Sanctuary Exhibit
In a unique public-private partnership, the Independence Mall, just
off Route 3 in Kingston, has developed an exhibit in conjunction with
the Sanctuary. "A Window on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary," located inside the mall and near the Bradlees entrance,
offers shoppers a look into the wonders of the national marine sanctuary.
Spectacular photographs of species ranging as large as right whales
to as small as phytoplankton (photosynthetic one-celled organisms) grace
the former information desk. Pearls of marine wisdom as well as nuggets
of little-known fact are scattered around the exhibit. Mall tenants
have contributed prizes (movie tickets, swedish fish candy, gift certificates)
to a children's trivia contest which is based upon the exhibit material.
Walden Books has contributed books to a "read-more-about-it"
display, and will be sponsoring several book fairs in which part of
the day's profits go to sanctuary education programs. The exhibit
will be up until November, and may be reinstalled in January after the
holiday shopping period.
Frontiers
in the Sea on Radio
National Public Radio (NPR) and National Geographic Society have produced
a new CD called "Frontiers in the Sea." The hour-long program
is a Radio Expedition into the nation's National Marine Sanctuaries.
Hosted by Alex Chadwick, the expedition explores fish habitats in the
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, tracks migrating whales off
the California shore, dives to explore fragile coral reefs in the Florida
Keys, and explores the coastal waters off Georgia with a marine archaeologist.
Copies of the special digital stereo CD are available for sale through
NPR. For more information on NPR, Radio Expeditions, or NPR products,
call 202-414-3232.
National
Geographic Features Sanctuaries
A beetle may have made the cover, but the National Marine Sanctuaries
were the lead story in the March issue of National Geographic magazine.
With its traditionally astonding underwater and surface photography,
National Geographic introduced its readership to the Sanctuary system.
A close-up photo into the mouth of a feeding humpback whale at Stellwagen
Bank leads off the story which covers the progress, promise and problems
associated with each of the 12 sites.
Traveling
Exhibits On the Move
The Sanctuary's popular traveling photo exhibit, "Creatures
of the Bank: an exploration into the biodiversity of the Stellwagen
Bank National Marine Sanctuary," continues to attract viewers.
Two versions of the show have been booked for the summer. The Nantucket
Whaling Museum installed the exhibit in the main hall (near their fin
whale skeleton), while the Salem National Historic Site is scheduled
to open its version of the exhibit on July 25th. Smaller subsets of
the exhibit are also on display at the New England Aquarium's education
center, the Cape Cod National Seashore's Eastham Visitor Center,
and the Scituate Public Library. The exhibits were made possible by
the gracious donation of photographs by numerous local professional
and amateur photographers. Photographers wishing to add their works
to the exhibition are invited to contact Anne Smrcina, Sanctuary education
coordinator and exhibit curator at 508-747-1691.
Sanctuary
to Sponsor Photo Contest
In honor of the Year of the Ocean, the Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary is organizing a photo contest, targeting resources and uses
of marine waters in the Gulf of Maine. Surface and underwater photographs
(color or black & white) of individual species, groups of species or
uses of resources (whalewatching, fishing, boating) are all possible
subjects. Entries can be made into any one of three categories: student
(under 18), college student or adult (professional and amateur). Contest
rules are being finalized at this time. Contact the sanctuary via phone
or e-mail for more information.
Student
Art Contest Underway for Year of the Ocean
Students in grades K-12 are encouraged to "Get Into It" and
celebrate the Year of the Ocean by participating in the 1998 Massachusetts
Marine Educators annual art/poster contest. Entries will be grouped
into the following divisions: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and scientific illustration.
The top entrant of all categories will be named "Best of Show."
Topics
include: living and non-living resources (single species, group of animals,
predator-prey, food chain, food web) with particular attention to local
species; or uses of the ocean, including whalewatching, fishing, bird
watching, shipping, boating, diving and research.
The New
England Aquarium, co-sponsor of the contest, is graciously providing
aquarium passes to the winners, as well as Behind the Scenes passes
for the Best of Show award. The Sanctuary will provide certificates
to all participants, award certificates to the winners, a copy of the
book "Stellwagen Bank: A Guide to the Whales Sea Birds and Marine
Life of the Sanctuary" to the Best of Show winner and Frontiers
of the Sea CD to the teachers of each first prize winning poster/artwork.
For more
information about the contest (deadline November 30, 1998) contact Anne
Smrcina, Sanctuary education coordinator, at 508-747-1691 or check the
Massachusetts Marine Educators web site at http://www.mme.capecod.com.
In
Memoriam – Norman Despres
The Sanctuary reports with sorrow the death of Norman Despres, an amateur
underwater photographer with a unique talent at capturing the wonders
of the ocean realm. Mr. Despres graciously donated use of his remarkable
photographs for use in the Sanctuary's traveling photo show, soon-to-be-released
CD-ROM on the food web and other educational products. His "Wolfish
in Den" photo (pictured to the left) was used by Audubon Magazine
to illustrate the species of Stellwagen Bank in a National Marine Sanctuary
article and was selected by NOAA for a "Tour of the Sanctuaries"
brochure. Mr. Despres took delight in showing viewers that the North
Atlantic had its fair share of colorful creatures “ such as "fiberoptic"
appearing frilled anemone and otherworldly "flying" flounder.
We will greatly miss this gifted and creative friend of the oceans.
[The Sea Rovers organization with funding from Fuji Corp. is preparing
a retrospective exhibit of Mr. Despres' works for display later
this year, time and place to be determined.]
Top
Understanding
the Demand for Whalewatching in the Sanctuary
Why are
almost a million people venturing out into the Stellwagen Bank National
Marine Sanctuary each year. The answer is: to watch whales.
Since
its beginnings in the mid-1970s, whalewatching has grown tremendously
to rank among the New England region's most important recreational
industries. Gross sales revenues reach approximatley $21 million annually.
A study by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's
Marine Policy Center estimates that more than 860,000 whalewatches originated
from Massachusetts during 1996, with most trips occuring in July and
August, but with a season stretching from April to October. Most of
these trips focused on whales located within the Stellwagen Bank National
Marine Sanctuary.
The researchers,
Porter Hoagland and Andrew Meeks, conducted a survey of whalewatch trips
during August 1996. Respondents reported that the number of whales seen
was the most attractive feature of whalewatching. The value of a whalewatching
experience cannot be attributed solely to the viewing of whales, however,
as "going on a boat trip" was also identified as an attractive
feature. "Not enough whales seen" and "boats too far
away" were cited as potential drawbacks.
The majority
of survey respondents were from the New England region, but more than
one-third of those surveyed were vacationing from outside the region.
More than two-thirds of vacationers (from New England and elsewhere)
had planned to go on a whalewatch as a part of their vacation. When
asked on their trip out about the importance of whalewatching relative
to other activities on their vacation, vacationers reported that, on
average, whalewatching represented more than one-third of the value
of their vacation. Other highly ranked complementary vacation activities
include going to the beach, shopping, going to museums, visiting relatives,
and fishing.
The researchers
concluded that the economic value of whalewatching is on the order of
$440 million. Consumer spending per person per trip is about $26.00,
which compares favorably with other studies of the value of environmental
resources.
According
to the researchers, the higher the travel costs or the higher the income
the less likely the vacationer will go whalewatching, but the higher
the education level the more likely the vacationer will seek to go out
on such a trip. They note that the relationships between income, education
and whalewatching seem at odds, unless one hypothesizes that higher
income groups tend to benefit from the presence of whales in ways other
than through commercial boat rides or by substituting other forms of
enjoyment of the environment in place of whalewatching (trips on private
boats, for example).
It appears
that the rate of increase in whalewatching capacity has been fairly
constant over the last few years. Hoagland and Meeker expect whalewatching
to grow with increasing economic growth, but there may be other factors,
such as congestion, that limit the continued growth of the industry.
According to their analysis, the demand for whalewatching may not necessarily
expand if coastal residents become more wealthy. However, demand should
expand with increased education levels. The latter finding suggests
that a policy of raising the level of education could help to maintain
the growth of this particular form of "eco-tourism."
Whalewatch
organizations participating in the survey included: Captain John Boats
(Plymouth), Hyannis Whalewatcher (Barnstable), Captain Bill and Sons
(Gloucester), the Dolphin Fleet (Provincetown), the New England Aquarium
(Boston), the East India Cruise Company (Salem), Captain Mac (Scituate),
and the New England Whale Watch (Newburyport).
Fishery
Closure Provides Unique Research Opportunity
by
Peter Auster, Sanctuary Research Coordinator and Science Director,
National Undersea Research Center for the North Atlantic and Great Lakes
Recently,
the New England Fishery Management Council closed a 900 square-nautical-mile
area in the Gulf of Maine to groundfishing. The closure, which went
into effect on May 1, 1998, includes eastern Stellwagen Bank and much
of Jeffreys Ledge. This closure is the result of rapid action by the
Council to deal with record low population levels of Atlantic cod and
other commercially important species.
The closure
provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of fishing on marine
systems. The information produced from such studies will not only be
of use to fishery managers, but may also answer some pressing questions
regarding effects of fishing activity on biodiversity and the role of
protected areas as a tool for conservation, in particular, the validity
of creating protected areas in cold and temperate marine systems.
The closure
area, relatively close to the coast, contains the wide diversity of
habitats which are representative of habitats across the northeast United
States continental shelf (the relatively shallow area between the coast
and the deep ocean). The National Undersea Research Center, the Stellwagen
Bank Sanctuary, the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Marine Fisheries
Service (with colleagues from the Universities of Maine, North Carolina
and Rhode Island) collaborated to fund and conduct a cruise to collect
data on the initial set of conditions at closure. This cruise took place
from April 27-May 10 aboard the F/V CHRISTOPHER ANDREW.
Research
has been focused on four major issues: 1) biological and geological
elements of habitat diversity [differences in animals and types of seafloor];
2) differential habitat use and size structure of fish assemblages (including
recruitment of early benthic phase fishes) [in other words “ how different
animals use different parts of the Sanctuary, how many fish are found
in different areas, and where young fish are found]; 3) soft and hard
substrate community structure [what lives on sand and mud, and what
lives on rocky bottoms]; and 4) differential rates of benthic primary
production [where do ocean "plants’ grow better on the seafloor].
The science
team selected 24 sampling stations representing mud, sand, gravel (pebble-cobble)
and boulder habitats. High resolution maps produced by the U.S. Geological
Survey during the past two years were used for this site selection process,
along with previous experience from submersible and remotely-operated-vehicle
(ROV) studies. There will be both open and closed area stations (3 each)
for all four of the habitat types.
In the
past, studies of fishing gear impacts to seafloor habitats in the Gulf
of Maine, on Georges Bank and elsewhere around the globe have shown
measurable effects to structural components of habitat, benthic communities
and ecosystem processes. Gear often removes bottom dwelling creatures
and plants, such as sponges, anemones and kelp. Fish and other animals
that once used these stationary structures for shelter are now more
vulnerable and predator/prey relationships are changed. While this past
research produced information about the types and extent of impacts,
it did not address the rates of these impacts nor the rates of recovery
from chronic (continuing) impacts in the absence of fishing.
The ultimate
goal of research on gear impacts should not be to retrospectively evaluate
what fishing does to the environment but to confidently predict cause
and effect given a particular managment decision. If we are to develop
regulations about the use of different types of gear and/or the establishment
of no-take (no-fishing) zones, we must be confident that the data support
the decisions.
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From
Sea to Shining Sea--News from the Nation's Marine Sanctuaries
Stellwagen
Bank
The humpback whales returned in strong numbers again this year, with
Salt and her newest calf among the early arrivals. Salt was one of the
first humpbacks to be named, and has had at least seven calves over
the past two decades. The Sanctuary is working with the Coast Guard
Auxiliary to develop greater awareness among boaters about whalewatching
guidelines and boating safety around marine mammals in the Sanctuary.
Monitor
The propeller and shaft were recovered from the wreck of the USS Monitor
by Navy divers on Friday, June 5, and placed aboard the Kellie Chouest,
a vessel provided by the Navy for the 1998 expedition to the Monitor
National Marine Sanctuary. The 5,000-pound, four-blade propeller will
be transported to The Mariners' Museum on June 12 for conservation
and eventual exhibition. The ship's anchor, presently on display,
was recovered in 1983. Plans are being formulated for a possible multi-million
dollar rescue attempt in 1999 or 2000 that would shore up the decomposing
wreck and recover as many artifacts as possible from the site which
is 230 feet deep. To see photos of the artifact recovery on the Internet,
check out www.noaanews.noaa.gov.
Gray's
Reef
Work continues on the underwater excavation of a mastadon graveyard
within the confines of the Sanctuary. Florida Keys A trail of history
is being blazed in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary –
a Shipwreck Trail. Nine shipwreck sites scattered along the treacherous
coral reefs and buried in the sandy shallows have been researched, located
and documented to create the educational trail. With underwater site
guides and extensive support materials, the program helps visitors appreciate
and understand these irreplaceable remnants of our past. Archaeologists,
historians, educators and divers have joined together to make this unique
underwater trail a reality. For more information on the Shipwreck Trail,
contact the Sanctuary office at 305-852-7717 ext. 24.
Flower
Garden Banks
Eighteen educators will learn by doing at the third annual "Down
Under, Out Yonder" Workshop, sponsored by the Gulf of Mexico Foundation's
Flower Gardens Fund. Participants, selected through a competitve process,
will study the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, located
115 miles south of the Texas/Louisiana border, in both the classroom
and the field via scuba diving. Topics covered include coral reef biology,
resource management, turtle tracking, environmental aspects of oil and
gas production, and reef fish identification.
Channel
Islands
Scientists, environmentalists, and career fishermen continue to debate
protections needed to stem depletion of the nation's marine resources
already strained by overfishing. A recent proposal before the California
legislature prohibits fishing in about 20% of the waters surrounding
the Channel Islands National Park and National Marine Sanctuary. If
approved by the state Fish and Game Commission, a National Park Service
proposal would forbid fishing in certain areas off the Channel Islands,
turning these spots into underwater parks for scientific study.
Monterey
Bay
The National Ocean Conference, featuring President Clinton and Vice
President Gore, was held in Monterey, California on June 11-12. The
conference was held as a U.S. contribution to the celebration of the
International Year of the Ocean and was organized by Commerce Secretary
William Daley and Navy Secretary John Dalton. Representatives of academia,
environmental groups, business and industry, and local, state and federal
government met (along with similar groups nationwide via teleconference
links) to discuss pressing issues including overfishing, endangered
species and pollution. An agenda for the ocean, developed by over 120
environmental groups, was released at the meeting (see related article
in the Sanctuary Currents section).
Great
American Fish Count
This year's Great American Fish Count, scheduled for the first week
of July, will survey several of the National Marine Sanctuaries, including
Florida Keys, Flower Garden Banks, Channel Islands, Monterey Bay and
Gulf of the Farallones. During this week, volunteer divers from around
the country conduct fish surveys and collect date which is scanned in
a computer at the University of Miami and made available to scientists
and resource managers. An established web page is up and running at
http://www.fishcount.org.
Gulf
of the Farallones and Cordell Bank
The jointly managed sanctuaries will be hosting a grand opening of their
new visitor center at Crissy Field in the Presidio on August 30th. The
facility provides space for exhibits and programs relating to research
and conservation in the two sanctuaries. The wide range of species found
in these sites will be highlighted.
Gulf
of the Farallones
Great white shark research will resume this summer with scientists curious
to see if activity returns to normal after last fall's orca attack.
In the first documented interaction between these two apex predators,
an orca killed and ate a white shark near the Farallones Islands. A
whalewatch vessel got a ring-side view of the orca assault which was
video documented by researchers from the Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory.
Soon after the October attack, white sharks left the area. The sharks
normally visit from August through October to prey on the local population
of elephant seal pups.
Olympic
Coast
Dr. Sylvia Earle launched her tour of the National Marine Sanctuaries
as a National Geographic "Explorer-in-Residence" with a visit
to Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary May 14 - 18. Dr. Earle and
Dr. Nancy Foster, director of NOAA's National Ocean Service, took
a boat tour of the rugged Cape Flattery area to see the seabird colonies,
sea otters and gray whales. Dr. Earle also hosted the Year of the Ocean
Student Summit, an event that brought together 40 middle and high school
students from small towns and Indian reservations of the Olympic Coast
to discuss critical ocean issues. The National Marine Sanctuary Program
hopes to expand the Sustainable Seas Student Initiative through a partnership
with the National Geographic Society, the Jason Foundation, and the
NOAA/National Undersea Research Program.
Hawaiian
Islands
A 1998 survey covering some 7,191 nautical miles counted 2,558 marine
mammals in the waters in and around the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale
National Marine Sanctuary. Among those numbers were 681 humpbacks of
which 44 were calves. Other species spotted were: spinner dolphins (519),
spotted dolphins, pilot whales, bottlenosed dolphins, melon-headed whales,
a record number of sperm whales (65 including 8 calves), rough-toothed
dolphins, false killer whales, Blainville's beaked whales, Cuvier's
beaked whales, and 3 fin whales including the first sighting ever of
a calf in Hawaiian waters. Survey scientists were concerned that they
only saw one pod of false killer whales (15 individuals), which is considerably
fewer than in previous years. A complete report is due out by September.
Fagatele
Bay
This, the smallest of the National Marine Santuaries, located in American
Samoa in the South Pacific, will be welcoming the return of the southern
humpback whales soon. These whales migrate to the Antarctic during the
southern summer and spend the southern winter in warmer climes. During
the months of August, September and October the whales come to these
waters to calve and mate.
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Sanctuary
Studies: White-sided Dolphins 101
The humpback's
blow spout erupted like a geyser about half a mile away from the whale
watching vessel. "Oohs and Aahs" filled the air with excitement
and anticipation. The ship began moving toward the humpback, but before
reaching it, a pod of 150 creatures advanced on and surrounded the ship.
Over ten white-sided dolphins, Lagenorhynchus acutus, jockeyed for position
on the bow wave, only mere inches from the speeding vessel. Occasionally
a dolphin would explode out of the water, reaching heights of five feet
or more. White-sides, as they are sometimes called, frequently swim
near humpback or finback whales, so whale watchers have a good chance
of seeing this playful dolphin.
While
relatively unfamiliar to the casual observer, these toothed whales are
one of the most common marine mammals in the North Atlantic. Like most
dolphin species, white-sides are also streamlined and torpedo-shaped.
Adult males can reach lengths of 9 feet and weights of 500 pounds, and
scientists believe that females are somewhat smaller. Though similar
in size to other species of dolphin in Stellwagen Bank waters, white-sides
have unique markings. Black covers all of the back and the pectoral
fins; Both flanks are gray and the underbelly white. Below the black
dorsal fin and running several feet back to the tail, a well-defined,
narrow stripe of white stands out like a white-dashed line on a highway.
A similar yellow or tan patch continues from the end of the white stripe
toward the tail.
A highly
social dolphin, this mammal usually travels in pods of 50, and it is
not unusual to see 500 in one group. Scientists do not know much about
the social structure of pods. There is some speculation that pods are
chiefly composed of adult females and their offspring, leaving the males
to roam about in bachelor pods. White-sides are often spotted in the
Gulf of Maine but are also seen as far north as Greenland and as far
south as North Carolina. Sadly, much of the knowledge of white-sides
comes from mass strandings“a little understood phenomenon in which an
apparently healthy group of dolphins become stranded on the beach, such
as the recent strandings in North Falmouth and Wellfleet (both on Cape
Cod). Researchers rush to such scenes and collect as much data as possible
from the dead animals. From these studies, scientists know that white-sides
live to their mid-twenties. They breed from May to August, gestate for
about 11 months and give birth to summer babies from June to July. Females
give birth at an average rate of about one calf every 2.5 years. The
calf nurses for nearly 18 months and reaches sexual maturity at 5 to
8 years of age. Among one pod of stranded dolphins, half of the mature
females had damaged mammary glands due to parasitic nematodes (worms).
This raises concerns about greatly reduced reproductivity.
Before
1975 it was rare to find this dolphin anywhere near the coast, sightings
usually occurred on the continental slope, a sharp incline about 120
miles off the coast of Massachusetts. Now white-sides are frequently
seen closer inshore.
Around
1975 scientists and fisherman noticed an explosion of sand lance, a
small eel-like fish, in coastal regions like Stellwagen Bank National
Marine Sanctuary. Sand lance are a key source of food for many species,
including the white-sided dolphin, which mainly feeds on short-finned
squid and small fish. Many predators feed on these small bait fish but
researchers suggest that over-fishing of mackerel and herring in the
1970s led to an increase in sand lance which in turn led to a shift
in habitat of white-sided dolphins.
Presently
researchers estimate that about 27,200 white-sides inhabit western North
Atlantic waters. While not listed as endangered or threatened, white-sided
dolphins are not immune to dangers. From 1991 to 1995 fisherman accidentally
caught nearly one thousand white-sided dolphins in New England waters.
In 1995 scientist calculated that in order to keep the population at
sustainable levels, human-caused moralities could not exceed 192 white-sided
dolphins. The annual average human-caused mortality for 1990 to 1995
is 181 white-sided dolphins – a number dangerously close to surpassing
safe levels.
Fortunately,
many of the efforts to protect harbor porpoises, a dolphin-like marine
mammal, may transfer to white-sided dolphins. Groundfish sink gill nets
present the greatest danger to harbor porpoises and also account for
67% of the annual U.S. white-sided dolphin mortality. By placing acoustic
alarms or "pingers" on the gill nets, harbor porpoises and
white-sides may avoid the net (Many scientist still question the efficacy
of pingers, and some completely dismiss its ability to reduce incidental
catches). Also certain areas are closed to fishing during high harbor
porpoise activity, which in some cases turn out to coincide with areas
of high white-side activity. Hopefully, both measures will reduce the
number of human-caused moralities. This article was written by Michael
Franklin, a student in the graduate program in Science Journalism at
Boston University and a 1997 science writing intern at the Sanctuary.
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