Summer
2000
Sanctuary
Focuses on Habitats and Biodiversity
Tidings -- Message from Dan Basta, NMS Director
Sanctuary Currents
Sanctuary Supports Program to Name Humpback Whales
Student Aquanauts Investigate Sanctuary
Research Briefs
Executive Order Strengthens Ocean Protection
Sanctuary
Focuses on Habitats and Biodiversity
Preserving
biodiversity and preventing habitat destruction are two of the most
critical environmental management issues facing the National Marine
Sanctuaries today. Stellwagen Bank is no exception. Threats to biodiversity
and habitat range from overfishing and use of destructive fishing techniques,
other forms of seafloor disturbance, pollution, and global climate change.
Through research and education, the sanctuaries offer opportunities
to better understand marine systems and the ways humans are affecting
the living and cultural resources of our ocean world.
The
Gerry E. Studds/Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary encompasses
one of the most productive marine environments along the northeastern
United States. Visiting the area are a myriad of species, some of them
in abundant amounts, such as Wilson’s storm petrels, Atlantic white-sided
dolphins, sand lance and herring; others in less profuse numbers, including
the northern right whale, the most critically endangered baleen whale
(with a North Atlantic population estimate of just under 300 individuals).
Many of the species fished in these waters are listed as over-harvested
by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
"When
the sanctuary was designated in 1992 there were other issues of importance
to the public and marine resource users," notes Stellwagen’s
Acting Superintendent Ed Lindelof. "But over several years of focused
research, both here at the sanctuary and at other marine study areas
around the globe, we see that these two topics, habitat protection and
biodiversity, continue to come to the forefront," he added. "In
many cases, these issues go hand-in-hand - habitat degradation often
leads to decreased biodiversity, and less biodiversity may produce a
less adaptive ecosystem."
A
series of public scoping sessions to identify important management issues
at Stellwagen Bank supported the global concerns. High among the list
of management priorities was habitat protection, along with whale conservation,
enforcement, additional research needs, and greater public outreach.
Many of the comments included calls for greater protection of sanctuary
resources by limiting extractive uses of the sanctuary.
What
is "biodiversity"?
Biodiversity
is a term that was coined to describe the variety of living organisms
and the ecosystems they inhabit. Biodiversity can occur at the genetic
level - a healthy population of animals would have high genetic variability
for reproductive vitality, ability to adapt to change and to resist
disease. The more commonly understood aspect of biodiversity is species
diversity, or the range of different forms of life that have evolved
over time (1.4 million species are currently described; scientists differ
on their estimates of the total number of species ranging from 10-30+
million species). The third form of diversity is community or ecological
diversity - or the variety of types of biological communities (collections
of species that interact). For the sanctuaries, all of these aspects
of biodiversity are important.
Some
of the biodiversity questions facing local researchers include the genetic
diversity of whale populations in these waters, species diversity in
the face of overfishing, and community diversity after trawling
and dredging operations.
Habitat
Research
Additionally,
a recently released report from the Habitat Subcommittee to the Northeast
Fisheries Management Council and decisions at the Council meetings indicated
the need for research closure areas in the marine waters of New England
to provide scientific bases for fisheries management decision-making.
One of the recommendations raised at Council-supported scoping meetings
in March (organized to discuss just this issue) was to make a short-term
conservation closure in the sanctuary a more permanent entity.
This sanctuary
closure area is part of a larger Gulf of Maine groundfish closure that
was instituted in 1996, with a designated five-year limit (with the
possibility of extension). The closure was made to help restore cod
stocks in the Gulf by limiting fishing pressure. The intersection of
the New England Fisheries Management Council closure area with the sanctuary,
allowed scientists to design research experiments that looked at the
effects of fishing gear on different habitat types and recovery rates
in similar habitats in the protected zone.
This
type of research would not have been possible without the Gulf closure.
When the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary was created in 1992 the area was
known as a major whale feeding area, as well as an historically important
fishing ground. But unlike Naitonal Parks, National Marine Sanctuaries
do not prohibit all extractive uses. Each sanctuary’s regulations
are unique, and each set of regulations is subject to regular review
and revision.
Although
some research had taken place on the bank prior to designation, very
little was really known about the range of species and how these animals
interact among themselves and with their habitat. Rather than set in
place regulations that had no sound basis in scientitfic fact, the first
management plan allowed traditional fishing practices as regulated under
the New England Fisheries Management Council and National Marine Fisheries
Service. Consultation with the sanctuary was to become part of the regulatory
process.
Since
that time researchers have been focusing attention on the resources
of the sanctuary and developing a better picture (both literally and
figuratively) about how nature operates at Stellwagen Bank. Studies
at sampling stations have used remotely-operated vehicles, drop cameras,
and submersibles to get time-series data. The opening of the now closed
area would end one of the few focused research programs on gear impacts
and habitat recovery
Sanctuary
as Laboratory
The designation
of the sanctuary in 1992 was the catalyst for research. Congress believed
the area to be nationally significant, and others agreed.
A
multi-year project by the U.S. Geological Survey using multi-bean side-scan
sonar produced a unique map with accuracy up to 5 meters in the horizontal
scale and 10 centimeters in vertical resolution. The image appears as
precise as any aerial photograph of the terrestrial world - yet this
one had to resolve the problem of 65-600 feet of water between imaging
equipment and seafloor. The resulting map gives researchers an unprecedented
look at the diverse seafloor habitats. [See page 4 of this issue.]
Based
on the return rate of the sonar signals, scientists at USGS were able
to tell if the bottom sediments were mud, sand, or rock. This information
now allows biologists from the National Undersea Research Center for
the North Atlantic and Great Lakes (at the University of Connecticut)
and other research institutions to target specific areas for focused
research on habitat use. One such project was last summer’s Sustainable
Seas Expedition with Dr. Sylvia Earle to the deep boulder reefs in the
northeast section of the sanctuary.
Biodiversity
Days
"Habitat"
and "biodiversity" are two topics around which much interest
has been generated lately on both the state and federal levels. Preserving
and protecting the variety of species and the areas they inhabit are
the goals of a myriad of organizations. For NURC and the sanctuary,
site characterization studies are addressing some of the questions revolving
around what species can be found and where. In state government, the
Massachusetts Bays Program launched a new campaign - the Healthy Habitats
Initiative - to address two priority goals for the next three years:
protecting and enhancing coastal habitats and managing local resource
use.
Another
regional program is the first annual Biodiversity Days in Massachusetts.
The program, organized by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental
Affairs (EOEA), seeks to enumerate all the species in the Commonwealth.
The Sanctuary is taking on the task of providing a similar role for
the marine environment with dedicated scuba dives by the sanctuary’s
new dive team and coordination of a number of researchers in the area.
Biodiversity Days 2000 were scheduled for June 9-11.
"Biodiversity
is the key to a healthy ecosystem. Each species, from the largest to
the smallest, has its place in the web of life," said EOEA Secretary
Bob Durand. "The first step to ensure biodiversity is to find out
just how many different species we have in our communities."
Joining
EOEA and the sanctuary in understanding the range of species in the
marine waters are scientists from the National Undersea Research Center-North
Atlantic & Great Lakes (at the University of Connecticut), the Marine
Biological Laboratory, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the
University of Maine, and the National Marine Fisheries Service-Northeast
Science Center in Woods Hole. Images and information gathered during
Biodiversity Days and during research cruises will be posted on the
sanctuary’s new web site (http://www.sbnms.nos.noaa.gov).
Top
Tidings
-- Message from Dan Basta, NMS Director
America’s
national marine sanctuaries have been described as the "crown jewels"
of our nation’s marine environment. These nationally significant
coastal and ocean ecosystems provide extraordinary economic, scientific,
recreational, educational, and aesthetic value to coastal communities
and visitors from around the world. Today the sanctuaries represent
marine habitats where we may have the best opportunity to demonstrate
how to effectively protect our marine and coastal resources.
The
nation is at a special time in its history. Future generations will
look back on this time to examine what we did to save our oceans. Our
efforts can change the legacy we leave to future generations. We can
either leave a revitalized marine environment or marine ecosystems collapsed
and beyond repair.
We
are at crossroads. We can act now as a community of coastal stewards
still holding the ability to reverse the effects of earlier generations
seen in an altered and depleted a marine environment.
The
National Marine Sanctuary Program is taking action to insure that we
preserve and secure for future generations these important ecosystems.
We are managing for results– making resource protection our highest
priority and communicating this message of our commitment to healthy
oceans and coasts.
Our
approach is to begin looking at our current practices, then working
upwards. This means we are making greater investments in education and
outreach
and working directly with local communities and institutions to forge
partnerships that will achieve our common goal of saving the ocean and
its inhabitants.
Marine
mammals represent one of the most strongest visible connections
of people
to the sea. Like us, they are mammals and we share common
biological
roots. Like us, marine mammals range far and wide in their world and
tie together large regions of the world’s oceans. At the top of
the food web, their vitality and abundance is a direct measure of the
health of our oceans and ultimately our own health.
The
Stellwagen National Marine Sanctuary holds particular importance for
many marine mammals and is hence an important area in their life cycle
as they travel to feed within sanctuary waters before migrating to warmer
water to give birth and nurse their young. Viewing these creatures in
their natural habitat in a sanctuary is a powerful human experience-one
we must share with future generations.
The
National Marine Sanctuaries, through its system of care and protection,
provides
the promise of a healthy, thriving marine world now and in the future.
Sanctuary
Currents
New
Faces at Headquarters
In
January, Dan Basta, the director of the National Ocean Service Special
Projects Office, was named as the acting director of the Marine Sanctuary
Program. He brings to the position 25 years of experience in environmental
quality and natural resources management from around the world.
Also stepping
up to the challenge of leading the sanctuaries in this new millenium
is CDR Craig McLean who has been named as the deputy director of National
Marine Sanctuary Program. CDR
McLean has 18 years of service in NOAA. Prior to arriving at the Sanctuary
Program, McLean was the Commanding Officer of the NOAA Ship GUNTER,
NOAA’s largest fisheries research vessel.
Sanctuary
Foundation Proposed
Legislation
to establish the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation was submitted
to Congress on April 4th by Secretary of Commerce William Daley. The
Foundation would raise private support for NOAA’s 12 national marine
sanctuaries, and work collaboratively with local sanctuary foundations.
Among the
functions of the Foundation would be: to serve as an official nonprofit
partner to America’s marine sanctuaries; to engage people in rewarding
volunteer activities along our beaches, on the water, and under the
waves; to promote exploration and research partnerships to meet the
challenges of ocean conservation; and to support existing sanctuary
"friends groups. "Marine sanctuaries are part of our national
commitment to protect the oceans," said Secretary Daley. "A
National Marine Sanctuary Foundation chartered by Congress will allow
corporate and individual donors to support the exploration, understanding,
and conservation of these special places in the sea." "Marine
sanctuaries have historically enjoyed bipartisan support, and we are
pleased that the same support exists today for a National Marine Sanctuary
Foundation," said Dr. D. James Baker, under secretary for oceans
and atmosphere. Secretary Daley and under secretary Baker would serve
as advisors to a board of directors comprised of citizens from across
the country.
Students
Follow Whales on Web
Every
spring for the past five years the sanctuary has contributed to an innovative
internet education program that tracks the northward migration of a
dozen or so species in North America. After consulting with researchers
from as far south as the Dominican Republic, as far north as Newfoundland,
and many areas in-between, sanctuary education coordinator Anne Smrcina
submits biweekly entries on the status of northern right whales and
humpback whales for Journey North, an Annenberg/CPB project. JN was
the winner of the 1999 "Webby" Award (International Academy
of Digital Arts and Sciences) as the best education site on the web.
Its address is: www.learner.org/jnorth.
Sanctuary
and Fisheries Service Join Forces for Enforcement Program
The
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary will be working with the NOAA
Office of Fisheries Enforcement to build a sanctuary enforcement program
that can more adequately address some of the critical protection issues
affecting sanctuary resources. A key element in this program is the
assignment of senior special agent Kevin Sullivan to the Sanctuary to
head up the project. By reallocating personnel and teaming with other
enforcement agencies, the sanctuary and NOAA enforcement office will
be able to provide a more visible presence on Stellwagen Bank, be able
to pursue suspected cases involving marine mammal harassment, illegal
fishing, and unpermitted use of sanctuary resources, and serve as a
model for the national program. For more information on the enforcement
program, contact the sanctuary.
2001
Budget Request Looks Promising
President
Bill Clinton’s 2001 budget request for the National Marine Sanctuaries
shows a $10 million increase over the present fiscal year 2000 level
which was itself a sizeable increase from the previous year. Increased
funding has allowed the sanctuary to expand its research and education
programs, hire new staff, and initiate plans for public outreach facilities
along the coast. A pilot project for sanctuary enforcement with the
NOAA Office of Enforcement and development of a volunteer program will
also be possible by the funding increase. Among the opportunities for
next year under increased funding levels will be additional support
for research for site characterization and dedicated funding for the
completion of the management plan review now underway.
NOAA
Predicts Busy Hurricane Year
NOAA’s
National Weather Service predicts that east coast and Gulf of Mexico
residents in the United States will experience an above-average year
for hurricanes in 2000. The scientists estimate that 11 or more tropical
storms will form, with 7 or more becoming hurricanes. Of these hurricanes,
at least 3-4 may be categorized as major. Depending on the track, the
storms may affect local waters and the Stellwagen sanctuary; other National
Marine Sanctuaries off Florida, Georgia and North Carolina may also
be impacted. Tropical storms, with rotary circulation and wind speeds
above 39 miles per hour, are assigned names by the Tropical Prediction
Center in Florida. Atlantic storm names for 2000 are: Alberto, Beryl,
Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Keith,
Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sandy, Tony, Valerie,
and William. The use of easily remembered names greatly reduces confusion
when two or more tropical storms occur at the same time. The short,
distinctive given names are quicker to say and less subject to error
than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods.
The letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z are not included because of the scarcity
of names beginning with those letters. The Center retires a name after
a major land-falling storm with major economic impact. The name lists
have an international flavor because hurricanes affect other nations
and are tracked by the public and weather services of many countries.
Names for the list are selected from library sources and agreed upon
at international meetings of the World Meteorological Organization.
Year
of the Gulf Announced
The
year 2000 has been designated as the "Year of the Gulf of Maine"
through a joint proclamation by the Governors and Premiers of the states
and Canadian provinces that border that water body. This special recognition
of the Gulf highlights its significance to the peoples of Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The proclamation
recognizes ten years of successful cross-border collaboration by the
Gulf of Maine Council (made up of the five state and provincial governments
and their federal partners), and encourages continued protection and
wise management of the Gulf ecosystem. The proclamation can be viewed
at the Council’s web site at http://www.gulfofmaine.org/2000proclamation.htm.
Reporting
System Focuses on Whale Protection
Collisions
with ships are a major source of injury and death of the critically
endangered northern right whale (less than 300 survive in the North
Atlantic). In an effort to reduce the number of ship strikes, NOAA and
the U.S. Coast Guard have developed and implemented Mandatory Ship Reporting
Systems. The systems were endorsed by the International Maritime Organization
- a specialized organization of the United Nations. The
systems became operational in July 1999. When ships greater than 300
gross tons enter two key right whale habitats - one off the northeast
U.S. and one off the southeast U.S. - they are required to report to
a shore-based station. In return, ships receive a message (usually via
satellite to the ship’s bridge computer) about right whales, their
vulnerability to ship strikes, precautionary measures the ship can take
to avoid hitting a whale, and locations of recent sightings.
The northern
reporting zone covers the waters of Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay,
and the Great South Channel, and includes the entire Stellwagen Bank
Sanctuary. The system is in effect year-round for this zone. For the
southern zone, which is the right whales’ calving ground, the reporting
system operates from Nov. 15 through April 15. Information
about the location of right whales is also being provided to mariners
through various broadcast media, including the U.S. Coast Guard’s
Broadcasts to Mariners, satellite-linked marine safety broadcasts, and
NOAA Weather Radio. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is illegal
to intentionally approach a right whale closer than 500 yards without
a permit (the regulation does not apply to cargo and large passenger
vessels in the shipping lanes and fishing vessels in the act of towing
or retrieving gear).
NOAA
Celebrates 30 Years
The
year 2000 marks the 30th anniversary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), an agency that conducts research and gathers
data about the global oceans, atmosphere, space, and sun, and applies
this knowledge to science and services that touch the lives of all Americans.
NOAA includes the National Weather Service (the primary source of weather
data, forecasts and warnings for the U.S.), the National Ocean Service
(which develops the national foundation for coastal and ocean science,
management, response and restoration, geodesy, and navigation, and includes
administration of the National Marine Sanctuaries), the Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research, the National Environmental Satellite, Data,
and Information Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and
the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (which includes the NOAA
Corps, a part of the nation’s uniformed services). For more information
on NOAA, check out its web site at http://www.noaa.gov.
Sanctuary
Photo Exhibits Grow
Over
the past four year the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary has offered a traveling
photographic exhibit to museums and other institutions. This year two
versions of the show have been installed; one at the Nantucket Whaling
Museum and the other at the Salem National Historic Site Visitor Center
(spring and fall). A smaller version of the show was displayed at the
Boston Sea Rovers meeting in March and will be used at Fish Expo in
Providence in October. New
contributors to the show include Dann Blackwood and Page Valentine of
the USGS, Greg Skomal of Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries and Roger
Allen. Other contributors include: Andrew Martinez, Bob Michelson, Kevin
McCarthy, Dave and Sue Millhouser, Jonathan Bird, Peter Auster and Norman
Despres. Anyone wishing to add their images to the traveling exhibition
or to the sanctuary’s web page image gallery should contact Anne
Smrcina at the sanctuary (anne.smrcina@noaa.gov or 781-545-8026). These
donations of images are greatly appreciated and used exclusively for
sanctuary education purposes.
Top
Sanctuary
Supports Program to Name Humpback Whales
How do
the humpback whales of the sanctuary get their recognizable names? It’s
all part of a regional collaborative effort that brings together scientists
and naturalists who work with these whales on a day-to-day basis. This
year, the sanctuary began what should become an annual program of support
for the whale naming workshop.
Begun
in the mid-1970s as an informal method of distinguishing commonly seen
whales, whale naming has grown into a formal procedure involving all
of the major whale research groups from the northeast. This year some
30 individuals representing organizations from Maine to Connecticut
came to the March 25th proceedings. The workshop was organized by the
Cetacean Research Unit (CRU) of Gloucester (now known as the Whale Center
of New England) and the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) in Provincetown.
The Center is the keeper of the master database of humpbacks in the
Gulf of Maine, including Stellwagen Bank.
Of
the 59 new whales (1999’s new calves, and juveniles and adults
not previously seen), 55 were named. The only whales left unnamed were
those whose identifying photographs were not clear enough to provide
distinctive distinguishing marks.
Certain
specific rules apply - the names must be based on the pattern of black
and white marks on the tail flukes, the shape of the trailing edge of
the flukes or the dorsal fin; the names cannot be gender specific (since
researchers do not often know the sex of the newly recognized animals);
the names should not be that of specific persons (except in exceptional
cases); the names should be one word; and they should be clearly understandable
(especially over faulty sound systems on noisy boats).
Assigning
common names to whales makes identification simpler in the field. Humpbacks
display their dorsal fins and tails when they dive. Researchers can
often spot distinctive marks in the field; for other whales, photographs
can be compared to the master database for verification of identification.
The
flukes (the flared right and left portions of the tail) show individually
identifiable differences from whale to whale - a whale "fingerprinting"
system. The flukes range from pure white to pure black with a range
of patterns and marks in between. Natural marks appear as a calf and
stabilize after a year. Scars can happen at any time - white scars on
black backgrounds and black scars on white backgrounds. Scars can be
the result of orca and/or shark attacks (especially on the young), fishing
gear entanglements, barnacles and other parasites, ship strikes, and
other at-sea interactions.
Names
this year include "Dice" so-called because of two distinctive
spots on its right fluke; "Tracer" named for a white streak
on its right fluke; and "Peeler" a calf with a black mark
on its left fluke that looks just like a vegetable peeler.
Many
of the whales named at the workshop were spotted during the 1999 whalewatching
season in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Sanctuary support
for the workshop covered digitizing of images, research and confirmation
of "new whale" status, and organization of the workshop.
"Sanctuary
support of this effort is important both in making this group of endangered
animals more familiar to the general whalewatching public as well as
allowing researchers to better understand the composition of the resident
population," said Anne Smrcina, the sanctuary’s education
coordinator. "Part of the sanctuary’s mission to to preserve
and protect its living marine resources while promoting marine research
and education - this is one step towards those goals," she added.
Photos
of the newly named whales will be posted on the sanctuary’s home
page at http://www.sbnms,nos.noaa.gov along with information about why
each whale received its name. The sanctuary will update this database
each year. Host site for the naming workshop was the New England Aquarium
in Boston.
Top
Student
Aquanauts Investigate Sanctuary
Environmental
stewardship often starts in the classroom, and what better classroom
than the sea itself? This summer, the Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary will host a crew of budding oceanic scientists when the Aquanaut
Program launches their new science education mission in June.
The
Aquanaut Program, an educational initiative of the National Undersea
Research Center, North Atlantic and Great Lakes (NURC NA&GL) at
the University of Connecticut, has offered middle and high school teachers
and their students the opportunity to learn about the marine environment
while performing in-situ research at sea since 1988.
The
summer of 2000 will see the start of a new phase in the program as Aquanaut
students will contribute to the scientific study of the sanctuary by
developing site characterizations of various monitoring sites on and
near Stellwagen Bank.
"We
want to collaborate with the Sanctuary staff by doing research that
will be totally useful for them," said Peter Scheifele, Director
of the Aquanaut Program. "At the same time, our student can get
real hands-on experience. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship."
Sanctuary
staff gladly welcome the additional research hands. "Terrestrial
environmenta have had the luxury of being easily accessible to student
researchers. But the marine world, other than the thin coastal margin,
has been relatively difficult for student-based research. The Aquanaut
program not only gets students to explore this fascinating, little known
world, but provides extremely useful information to those of us tasked
with preserving and protecting this national treasure," said Anne
Smrcina, the sanctuary’s education coordinator.
The
students will conduct the site characterization experiments during six
days of daily excursions in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
using Gloucester as their port of embarkation from August 4 through
August 11. Their teachers will be introduced to the research protocols
on a separate four-day instructional voyage aboard the NOAA Ship FERREL
in late Jun. These cruises are a part of the Aquanaut program’s
larger mission to keep classrooms informed about advances in marine
science research.
"Educating
the teachers using the opportunity of actual field research is a big
part of the process," said Scheifele. "They often use the
material they learn at sea to teach their classes on into the next year."
With supervision from marine scientists, the Aquanaut team will investigate
four specific properties of the marine environment: acoustical; chemical;
microbial; and species/habitat diversity.
As
a apart of their acoustical studies, the student-researchers will use
a suite of sonar techniques such an active/passive sonar system that
includes an underwater microphone to gauge acoustical properties along
the sea floor and to measure ambient noise. This work will supplement
ongoing acoustic studies by Peter Scheifele on the potential effects
of man-made noise on marine mammals.
"We
want to know what kind of acoustic the animals of the bank are living
in and whether that acoustic environment is more like a noisy factory,
or more like a comfortable living room," said Scheifele.
At
each site, the students will measure water temperature, salinity, and
dissolved oxygen of the sea water at various depths to assess the chemical
properties of the areas. They’ll also test water samples for heavy
metal pollutants and coliform bacteria.
By dragging
a sieve-like screen called a plankton tow through the water, the students
can get a look at some of the microbial life in the sanctuary’s
waters. A remotely-operated-vehicle (ROV) will take video shots of the
bottom habitats, allowing students to assess the biodiversity of the
ocean floor.
After
collecting their data, students will return to the University of Connecticut,
Storrs campus to analyze their results. Each school group will consider
one specific area of the research. All the groups will compile their
results into one publishable site characterization paper. At this time
of the writing of this article, NURC had not yet finalized the list
of study sites in the sanctuary, but, says Scheifele, the areas will
be chosen to represent the variety of different bottom habitats in the
Stellwagen sanctuary. Site selections will be made based on data provided
by Page Valentine at the U.S. Geological Survey, who is completing a
detailed topographic survey of the area.
Ivar Babb,
Director of the National Undersea Research Center, Dom Tedeschi, the
Aquanaut Program’s research coordinator , Joe Crivello of the University
of Connecticut, Fred Thruberg and George Senefelder of the National
Marine Fisheries Service will serve as supervising scientists at sea
and the principle investigators of the study. By working closely with
these professional oceanic researchers, the students will get a realistic
look into the life of a research scientist. "The students get to
work as technicians, and, at the same time, they can job shadow the
scientists," said Scheifele.
This
year’s Aquanaut schools includes: Sage Park Middle School from
Windsor, Conn., Norfolk County Agricultural High School from Walpole,
Mass.,Martin Kellogg Middle School from Newington, Conn., Norwich Technical
School from Norwich, Conn., Woodstock Academy from Woodstock, Conn.,
and Dearborn High School from Dearborn, Mich. A total of forty students
and their teachers will be participating. The American School for the
Deaf from Hartford, Conn. will be participating in NURC’s Classroon
of the Sea program later in the summer, investigating cetacean acoustics
in the sanctuary.
Research
Briefs
Habitat
Recovery Study Continues
Scientists
from the National Undersea Research Center-North Atlantic and Great
Lakes (at the University of Connecticut) will be conducting field studies
in the sanctuary as part of a continuing project that focuses on habitat
recovery in the Western Gulf of Maine Closed Area. Principal Investigators
are James Lindholm, a postdoctoral fellow at NURC (who also serves as
the sanctuary’s research coordinator) and Peter Auster, Science
Director at NURC (and a science advisor to the sanctuary). During a
June research cruise, researchers will be visiting stations inside and
outside the closed area to contrast habitat characteristics in relation
to disturbance by fishing gear. Observations will be made with both
still and video gear employed on remotely-operated-vehicles. These studies
are important in developing management strategies to address some of
the critical questions being raised today in fisheries management.
Spatial
Patterns in Species Diversity
Two
research cruises, one in June and one in August, will concentrate on
species diversity in the Stellwagen Bank area. The first cruise, with
Susanna Fuller of Dalhousie University as Principal Investigator, will
use a naturalist dredge to collect sponges and related invertebrate
taxa to determine spatial distribution of species within the sanctuary.
The second leg will utilize a remotely-operated-vehicle to obtain fine
scale video records to empirically determine species-area relationships.
The suction sampler on the ROV will be used to obtain voucher specimens
and small scale quantitative samples of invertebrate species, according
to Principal Investigator Peter Auster of NURC.
Identifying
Sanctuary Humpbacks
The
Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary has joined with the National Marine Fisheries
Service to
fund the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Program of the Center for Coastal
Studies in Provincetown. The sanctuary portion of the program will be
dedicated to identifying Stellwagen Bank whales and to better understand
seasonal and off-season habitat use in the area. The full study encompasses
all of the Gulf of Maine and looks at population size, individual habitat
preferences, migratory destinations, genetic underpinnings of distribution
and behavior. All of these issues are important in upcoming national
and international assessments of this species. During the sanctuary-dedicated
cruises (at least
one per month), log entries will be written for public dissemination
on the sanctuary’s
web page.
Auster
Named NOAA Environmental Hero
Peter
Auster, science director for the National Undersea Research Center at
the University of Connecticut and science advisor to the Stellwagen
Bank National Marine Sanctuary, has been awarded an Environmental Hero
Award from NOAA. In making the award, NOAA officials citedAuster’s
leadership in the process to develop a comprehensive research and monitoring
plan for the sanctuary, as well as his efforts to engage the academic
community to focus research there. He played a significant role in helping
to build a partnership with the US Geological Survey for a high resolution
mapping project (see page 4), an unparalleled information resource anywhere
in the US EEZ. Subsequently, he has made good use of that data set in
identifying fish assemblage/habitat relationships in the Sanctuary.
His habitat use characterization model was one of the first in the published
literature to effectively integrate both geology and biogenic structure
to predict fish assemblages in the habitats of the sanctuary. Over the
past two years, Auster has also graciously provided expertise in underwater
technology to help resolve some of the operational questions encountered
in the start-up of the joint NOAA/ National Geographic Society Sustainable
Seas Expedition program. Among his other honors is a 1999 Pew Fellowship,
a three-year grant, that recognizes his accomplishments in environmental
conservation and provides support for continued research.
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Executive
Order Strengthens Ocean Protection
On May
26th, President Clinton issued an Executive Order that directs federal
agencies to strengthen protection of ocean and coastal resources. One
of the centerpieces of this program is the creation of a comprehensive
network of marine protected areas (MPAs), along with the establishment
of a Marine Protected Area Center within NOAA. The program strives to
protect areas representative of the diverse marine ecosystems within
U.S. waters.
There
are now more than 1,000 areas granted some level of special protection
by the federal or state governments. Federal marine protected areas
include the 12 National Marine Sanctuaries, of which Stellwagen Bank
serves as a representative site in the Gulf of Maine. Other federally
protected marine areas include some National Parks and Wildlife Refuges,
the National Estuarine Research Reserves, and fisheries closure areas.
These
designations help to protect significant natural and cultural resources,
such as coral reefs and historic shipwrecks like the USS MONITOR. In
addition, they help promote sustainable use of fisheries and other marine
resources, provide educational and recreational opportunities, and preserve
unique areas for scientific study. Despite these efforts to protect
nationally significant marine resources, the designated areas only cover
about 1 percent of the ocean within U.S. jurisdiction, and only about
10 percent of that protected area is afforded the highest level of protection,
where fishing and other extractive activities are precluded
In
signing the Executive Order, President Clinton expressed his belief
that an expanded and strengthened network of MPAs is essential to the
conservation of America’s natural and cultural marine heritage,
and for the ecologically and economically sustainable use of U.S. marine
waters for future generations. The Executive Order directs federal agencies
to use their existing authorities to: strengthen the management, protection
and conservation of existing MPAs and establish new or expanded MPAs;
develop a scientifically based, comprehensive national system of MPAs
representing diverse U.S. marine ecosystems, and the nation’s natural
or cultural resources; and avoid causing harm to MPAs through federally
conducted, approved or funded activities.
In
developing the national system of MPAs, NOAA, in cooperation with the
Department of the Interior, will seek the expert advice and recommendations
of non-federal scientists, resource managers, and other interested persons
and organizations through a Marine Protected Area Federal Advisory Committee
to be created by the Department of Commerce. Also, the agencies are
to consult with states, commonwealths, territories, Regional Fishery
Management Councils and other entities, as appropriate, to promote coordination
of federal, state, territorial and tribal actions to establish and manage
MPAs.
In
addition, the order directs the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce
pollution of beaches, coasts, and ocean waters by developing Clean Water
Act regulations that strengthen water quality protections for coastal
and ocean waters. These new standards will guide the agency when it
reviews proposals for onshore and offshore activities that result in
discharges to ocean or coastal waters. In developing these regulations,
EPA may set higher levels of protection in especially valued or vulnerable
areas.
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