Ongoing
Activities
(continued)
Water
Quality Monitoring
The
final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit
issued to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)
for its 9-mile sewage outfall pipe into Massachusetts Bay calls
for an annual report to the Sanctuary about water quality changes
that are impacting, have impacted, or may impact Sanctuary resources.
The requirement of the summary report was part of a change to
the draft permit at the request of the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary
receives notification if the MWRA monitoring program identifies
accedences in permit limits. The MWRA outfall project is the
largest secondary treatment facility in the nation. The wastewater
flow through the outfall started in the fall of 2000; its seaward
terminus is located 12.5 miles inshore of the Sanctuary's western
boundary.
Although
modeling by MWRA suggests there should be no impact on Sanctuary
water quality through normal operation of the outfall pipe,
there has been significant expression of public concern over
potential impacts from anomalous events. To assess this possibility,
the Sanctuary established a multi-year water quality monitoring
program in 2001. This program interfaces with the Harbor Outfall
Monitoring Program supported by MWRA and increases sampling
coverage to multiple sites within the Sanctuary. Because of
potential public interest in these additional data, they will
be available upon request for independent evaluation.
Whale
Research
Stellwagen
Bank's importance as a major feeding ground for marine mammals
was one of the primary reasons for the Sanctuary's designation.
The information archive on the whales of Stellwagen Bank is
extensive. Many peer-reviewed research publications have been
generated based on that archive. The Sanctuary is committed
to its continued maintenance and update and is providing the
following means of support.
In
2000, the Sanctuary funded research to further understand the
resident population of humpback whales on Stellwagen Bank. Little
is known about how animals may be using the Bank during migratory
transition periods of spring and fall. Year-round monthly cruises
in the Sanctuary were conducted to photograph and identify arrival
times of individual whales and their associations with other
animals. Samples for genetic studies were taken to support research
on gender and family lineage.
In
2001, the Sanctuary funded research on whale feeding behavior
relative to sand lance distribution and abundance. The sand
lance is a major forage species in the Sanctuary. In 2001, a
major project was initiated to compile, integrate and analyze
over 20 years of spatially referenced data on whale sightings
in the Sanctuary. Research results will define spatial-temporal
patterns of whale distribution in the Sanctuary and inform management
decision-making.
The
Sanctuary continues to support analysis of photographs for new
whale identifications and co-sponsors the annual whale-naming
workshop. Support also is being provided for prototype studies
on the impacts of vessel noise on marine mammals.
Whalewatch
Guidelines
The
Sanctuary and the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS)
Office of Protected Resources co-sponsored a brochure in 1999
on revised guidelines for whalewatching in the northeast region.
The guidelines provide approach and departure speeds and minimal
distance for commercial and recreational boats intent on watching
whales. The brochure has been reprinted by NMFS regularly and
distributed by both agencies up to the present. Regulations
for approach distances for the endangered northern right whale
are included in the brochure. In 2000, NMFS issued an Advance
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for whalewatching in the northeast
in consultation with the Sanctuary. Draft rules currently are
undergoing NMFS review.
USGS
Mapping Project
The
US Geological Survey (USGS) completed an initial series of 18
seafloor topographic maps (scale 1:25,000) in 1997 that cover
the Sanctuary. The data were collected using a hull-mounted
multibeam sonar system. This map series was followed by a sun-illuminated
version of the multibeam map in 2001. Additional backscatter
and sediment characterization maps are in preparation that will
also cover the Sanctuary.
This
comprehensive data set already is providing valuable assistance
in studies of Sanctuary biodiversity, fish ecology and cultural
resources, as noted in subsequent activities. The USGS has incorporated
much of these data into a GIS CD-ROM on Massachusetts Bay. The
Sanctuary multibeam map, in conjunction with extensive ground
truthing (e.g. video, still photos, sediment samples), provides
the most complete characterization of the seafloor in the Gulf
of Maine.
Seafloor
Habitat Recovery Monitoring Program
This
monitoring program is a collaborative effort between scientists
at the Sanctuary, the National Undersea Research Center at the
University of Connecticut (NURC UCONN), the University of Maine
and Brown University. The program began in 2001 and is planned
to continue for 10 years. The specific objectives are to quantify
and compare the relative impacts of anthropogenic disturbance
(e.g., the laying of the Hibernia fiber optic cable in 2000
and fishing with mobile fishing gear) and natural environmental
variation (e.g., storm driven currents) with respect to fish
communities, seafloor microhabitat structure, soft-sediment
infaunal communities and hard-bottom epifaunal communities.
Sampling
is being conducted using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and
the Sanctuary's Integrated Seafloor Imaging System (ISIS), as
well as box cores, side scan sonar and current profilers. The
ROV is a robot tethered and controlled from the sea surface,
while the ISIS is a passive drift camera with video and still
photographic capabilities.
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