Ongoing
Activities
(continued)
Ecology
of Fishes and Seafloor Habitat
The
Sanctuary is supporting scientists from the Sanctuary and NURC-UCONN
involved in two on-going research projects. Both projects are
intended to guide informed consideration of the design, location
and effectiveness of potential marine reserves within the Sanctuary.
The results of these projects will also inform the process of
fisheries management undertaken by the New England Fishery Management
Council and should foster collaboration between the agencies.
The
first project focuses on the study of fish movement relative
to different seafloor habitats. In 2001, a hydrophone array
was deployed on the seafloor at a gravel habitat site. A total
of 38 Atlantic cod were tagged with acoustic pingers (transmitters)
and tracked for up to 4 months. Results indicate significantly
higher individual residence times (up to 120 days) over gravel
habitat than was previously expected. In 2002 and multiple outyears,
additional habitats and additional fish species will be incorporated
into the experimental design.
The
second project, which began in 1999 and will be completed in
2002, involves the study of species-area relationships for fish
and invertebrate taxa in multiple habitats within the Sanctuary.
This project entails sampling with an ROV. Results thus far
for Year 1 characterize fish diversity over boulder and gravel
habitats. These data will be compared to data collected over
sand and mud habitats in Year 2.
Western
Gulf of Maine Area Closure
The
Sanctuary continues to voice support for continuation of the
Western Gulf of Maine Area Closure. Specifically, the Sanctuary
supports several of the options pending before the New England
Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) that either maintain the
existing configuration of the closure or extend the boundaries
within the Sanctuary to encompass a greater diversity of seafloor
habitats. The closure was established by the NEFMC in May 1998
to protect spawning stock of Atlantic cod and other groundfish.
The closure is scheduled to sunset in May 2002 and must be re-established
on an annual basis.
The
closure excludes mobile fishing gear (such as otter and bottom
trawls and scallop dredges) but permits the continued use of
shrimp trawls, lobster pots, pelagic purse seining, and hook
and line fishing. Because the closure, which incorporates 132
square nautical miles (or about 22%) of the Sanctuary, excludes
most bottom-tending mobile fishing gear, it serves as a "reduced
impact" reference area for many of the Sanctuary's on-going
research projects on seafloor habitat, as described above.
The
area of overlap with the Sanctuary is effectively serving as
an important habitat research area with results certain to benefit
the NEFMC and the Sanctuary. This outcome is compatible with
the NEFMC vote in June 2000 to develop a plan and environmental
impact statement regarding establishment of a habitat research
area in the Gulf of Maine.
Habitat
Use Assessment
In
2001, the Sanctuary began a year-long assessment of human use
and marine mammal distribution throughout the Sanctuary. Objectives
of the assessment are to: 1) characterize uses, 2) quantify
the relative magnitude of use on a seasonal basis, and 3) determine
how habitats influence patterns of use and wildlife distributions.
Information is collected every month through a standardized,
shipboard survey. Data on vessel type, purpose, and location;
fixed gear location; and marine mammal species and location
are collected. This study replicates an identical assessment
completed in 1994-95. Results from both surveys will help establish
a baseline of use and contribute to guiding research, education
and enforcement efforts.
Submerged
Cultural Resources
In
2000, the Sanctuary began to ground truth potential submerged
cultural resource targets (numbering around 100) identified
using the seafloor topography map provided by the USGS, to ascertain
whether they were cultural resources worthy of further investigation.
Three targets were investigated in 2000 with the help of the
National Ocean Service's Coast Survey, and one of them is of
cultural significance. In 2001, divers determined the shipwreck
to be wooden and over 243 feet long.
That
year, a workshop was held to train Sanctuary staff and volunteers
in appropriate procedures and protocols necessary to investigate
and properly identify such cultural resources. A research plan
is being developed for the site and further investigation is
planned for the summer of 2002. The objective of the research
is to identify the purpose and name of the vessel as well as
any historical significance.
Enforcement
The
mission of Sanctuary enforcement is to ensure compliance with
the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, regulations of the Sanctuary
(Appendix B), and (within Sanctuary boundaries) other applicable
regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered
Species Act, and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, for example. A successful enforcement program
requires cooperation between state and federal agencies.
The
primary agencies involved in Sanctuary enforcement activities
are NMFS Office for Law Enforcement (OLE), NMFS Office of Protected
Resources and the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP).
Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard has assisted with Sanctuary
enforcement and related outreach (through its Auxiliary) in
the past, but since has been diverted to other matters. As other
operations and asset availability permit, the Coast Guard will
continue to assist with monitoring activity in the Sanctuary.
A
cooperative enforcement plan for the Sanctuary was instituted
between NMFS OLE and the Sanctuary in 2001. Under terms of the
plan, agreements were developed that authorize deputization
of state enforcement officers (MEP) and provide a funding mechanism.
An existing cooperative enforcement agreement between OLE and
MEP was amended to specifically authorize the National Marine
Sanctuaries Act as one of several federal statutes to be enforced
through this relationship.
A
pilot project conducted between May and August of 2001, using
small patrol boats to intercept vessels in the Sanctuary, was
well received by the boating public. On-the-water police action
was provided by the MEP acting under agreement with the Sanctuary
and coordinated by the NMFS OLE. This enforcement effort was
the subject of a nationally syndicated half-hour television
show produced by Game Warden Wildlife Journal.
The
pilot project focused on interpretive law enforcement by which
Sanctuary users were informed on matters of Sanctuary regulation
through the distribution of educational outreach information.
A greater enforcement effort, transitioning more to detection,
investigation and prosecution of violations, inter- and intra-agency
coordination, and the sharing of assets is planned, which should
lead to consistent enforcement awareness and compliance in the
Sanctuary.
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