Part
2, Section 3A
Sanctuary Management Plan - Overall Management and Development
Concept
A.
Overall Management and Development Concept
1.
General Context
The
highest management priority for the Sanctuary is long-term protection
of the living and non-living resources of the Stellwagen Bank
system. Effective protection of Sanctuary is dependent on several
factors affecting the feasibility of Sanctuary programs and
actions. Factors affecting management of the Sanctuary include:
its size; its depth and location; its accessibility; and coordination
of responsibilities for comprehensive management of the site
with other authorities.
As
discussed in previous sections, the Stellwagen Bank area receives
moderate-to-high levels of human use, with particularly high
levels of visitation on a seasonal basis. The proximity to shore
and accessibility of the site indicate the need for a Sanctuary
management structure which provides for coordination of resource
protection, research, and interpretation/education activities.
Understanding
the ecological relationships among the diverse and abundant
species of benthic organisms, invertebrates, fishes, mammals,
and seabirds dependent on the Stellwagen Bank environment is
of primary importance in providing system protection. The Sanctuary
management plan proposes a research program which will characterize
and monitor environmental conditions. This continuing program
will provide the basis for detecting significant changes in
the status of populations and their habitats. These data bases
and predictive studies will in turn provide the basis for formulation
of contingency plans and response mechanisms to unforeseen threats
to the Sanctuary environment and surrounding waters.
Interested
individuals and organizations throughout Massachusetts and New
England will play an important role in attaining resource protection
goals in the Sanctuary. Inherent to this management plan, and
critical to its success, are effective interpretive programs
enhancing public understanding, and hence, support for management
objectives. Establishment of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary will provide a unique opportunity to inform the public
about both the value of resource protection and the need for
long-term management of the overall Bank system. Communicating
these messages effectively to the public will depend on publications,
exhibits, and special events tailored to a varied public audience.
This
management plan outlines actions tailored to specific issues
affecting Sanctuary resources. The plan recognizes the basic
need for a balanced approach to system management, reflecting
both protection priorities and the multiple-use character of
the Bank system. Implementation of this plan will involve cooperation
and coordination among several agencies with specified regulatory
responsibilities for the Stellwagen Bank area. In addition to
NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), other agencies
include the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE),
and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (MA). Regular information
exchanges and coordination of policies and procedures for resource
protection will be integral to all Sanctuary programs, including
research and interpretation. The management plan is designed
to guide the management of the Sanctuary for the first five
years following designation. During this period, management
initiatives will occur in three basic programs: resource protection,
research, and interpretation. Guidelines and specific initiatives
for each program are discussed in the remainder of this section.
2.
Existing Management Programs
The
ocean areas within and surrounding the Sanctuary are currently
subject to a number of management plans, either existing or
in preparation. While none of these efforts focus particularly
on the resources of the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary, all affect,
or will be affected by, designation of the Sanctuary.
a. Regional
Management (Within Massachusetts)
Management
of the Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay coastlines falls under
the jurisdiction of regional planning entities. While the interest
of these organizations in planning for coastal waters is highly
variable, some of the management initiatives arising from these
groups could have secondary or indirect effects on the Sanctuary.
For instance, management objectives established for the region
regarding waterfront development may have an effect on the relative
difficulty of gaining access to the Sanctuary from adjacent
harbors, or on the availability of shoreside services for fishermen.
The
regional planning agency likely to have the greatest interest
in waterfront planning (and thus possible effects on access
to the Sanctuary), is the Cape Cod Commission. Created in 1989
by the Massachusetts Legislature, the Commission has direct
regulatory authority, which can in certain instances supersede
local by-laws. As one of its first acts, the Commission is charged
with producing a comprehensive management plan for areas within
its jurisdiction. Given the importance of water quality protection
issues, it is likely that the Commission will give significant
attention to coastal waters in its comprehensive regional management
plan.
In
addition to this agency, the New England Fishery Management
Council (NEFMC) also has regional management responsibilities
related to the continued viability of fishery resources throughout
the New England region. Within this context, the NEFMC prepares
fishery management plans, which are periodically amended to
ensure conservation and management measures (including regulation)
necessary to attain maximum sustainable yields.
b.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Two
state management programs will have some direct impact on the
Sanctuary: the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Program
(MCZM), and the Massachusetts Ocean Sanctuaries Program. The
MCZM is established under the Coastal Zone Management Act of
1972, as amended, and is the principal planning and policy agency
of the Commonwealth for coastal issues. MCZM jurisdiction includes
all State territorial waters, and any activity seaward of State
territorial waters that will likely have an effect on the coastal
zone. The MCZM Plan encompasses 27 program policies directing
activities proposed for the coastal waters and adjacent areas.
The policies cover a broad range of issues, from protection
of critical areas, to port and harbor operations, to offshore
oil and gas development. MCZM program policies are currently
being rewritten to update the coastal zone management plan.
Ocean policy is an area within that effort which will likely
receive significant attention in the updated management plan.
The
Massachusetts Ocean Sanctuaries Program is administered by the
Department of Environmental Management. Ocean Sanctuaries are
designated to provide protection "from any exploitation, development,
or activity that would seriously alter or otherwise endanger
the ecology or the appearance of the ocean, the seabed, or the
subsoil thereof, or the Cape Cod National Seashore"
(Figure
17). To this end, specific activities are either prohibited
or special performance standards are established for regulated
activities, to insure that the activity does not violate the
provisions of the Act. Implementation of these provisions is
accomplished through state regulatory authorities. With the
exception of an area off Boston (generally described as waters
from Brant Rock north to Nahant, seaward to the boundary of
state territorial waters), the remaining areas of state waters,
including the entirety of Cape Cod Bay, are designated as Ocean
Sanctuaries.
c.
Joint State/Federal Programs
In
1987, Boston Harbor, and Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays were
nominated to EPA for designation as an "Estuary of National
Significance" under the National Estuary Program (NEP), pursuant
to § 320 of the Clean Water Act. Designation was ultimately
made by EPA in April 1990.
As
an Estuary of National Significance encompassing Massachusetts
Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Ipswich Bay, and Boston Harbor, EPA and the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts are in the process of developing
a single Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP)
for this area. While the EPA designation was only recently made,
the Massachusetts Bays Program has been in place for well over
a year, funded through an environmental trust fund with monies
derived from the settlement of a lawsuit over pollution in Boston
Harbor. The initial work of the Bays Program has been to set
up the infrastructure for the NEP, and initiate the research
which will provide the strong technical basis for the Comprehensive
Plan.
The
timing of the NEP designation provides a unique opportunity
for the NEP and the National Marine Sanctuary Program to explore
various ways these two programs can be linked for their mutual
benefit. Given the high degree of coordination existing between
these Programs and the MCZM, further opportunities are presented
for Coastal Programs to add to, and benefit from this relationship.
d. International
Management: The Gulf of Maine Initiative
Initiated
a few years ago as a joint program funded under Section 309
of the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Gulf of Maine Initiative
involves the States of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts,
and now includes the Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
A Gulf of Maine Council, made up of representatives from each
of the States and Provinces bordering the Gulf of Maine, was
recently empaneled with the charge of protecting the resources
of the Gulf through coordinated action on critical issues. While
the goals and objectives of the Council are quite broad, the
international coordination and cooperation provided by the Council
are a vehicle to facilitate future efforts on specific issues.
One
of the first Council tasks was to provide the framework for
a coordinated monitoring program for the Gulf of Maine. This
task has been completed, and pilot monitoring studies are being
implemented.
next
section
|
