State
of the Sanctuary Report
Management
Plan Review Update: 1998-2002
View
the complete report in PDF (Acrobat) format
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the report online:
Issues and Concerns
•
ISSUE 1: Alteration of Seafloor Habitat
and Ecosystem Protection
• ISSUE 2: Impacts
of Human Activities on Marine Mammals
• ISSUE
3: Condition of Water Quality
• ISSUE 4: Lack
of Public Awareness
• ISSUE
5: Effective Enforcement
• Next
Steps
Issues
and Concerns
The
existing management plan for the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen
Bank National Marine Sanctuary was published in July 1993. In
December 1998 and January 1999, the Sanctuary initiated formal
review of its management plan by holding "scoping" meetings
to ask the public for comments on the status of site management.
Scoping comments generally include a broad range of information
on scope, types and significance of issues related to the Sanctuary's
management.
The public identified several high-profile topics as important
matters for Sanctuary management during the scoping meetings
and associated comment period of 1998/99. The issues and concerns
that follow relate to these topics. They are representative
of the comments received at that time and lend perspective to
continued scoping, which is scheduled for Summer/Fall 2002.
Each concern is followed by possible actions suggested through
Sanctuary staff analysis. The actions are indicative of the
kinds of management strategies the site could develop to address
the issues and concerns presented. Consider them only as examples
for the eventual development of actual management strategies.
The Sanctuary is not seeking comment for or against this information
at this time; that will await preparation of the draft management
plan when various alternative approaches will be presented.
Instead, we are seeking additional comments people have on any
aspect of the management of Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary that the Sanctuary should consider in revising its
management plan.
Read the accompanying document "State
of the Sanctuary Report" for background and see the note
at the end of this insert to learn how to get involved.
• ISSUE 1: Alteration of Seafloor
Habitat and Ecosystem Protection
• ISSUE 2: Impacts of Human Activities
on Marine Mammals
• ISSUE 3: Condition of Water Quality
• ISSUE 4: Lack of Public Awareness
• ISSUE 5: Effective Enforcement
• Next Steps
ISSUE
1: Alteration of Seafloor Habitat and Ecosystem Protection
The
alteration of seafloor habitat in the Sanctuary was an issue
of particular concern. Comments focused specifically on the
growing evidence that fishing effort with certain gear types
(mostly bottom trawls and dredges) is having significant and
measurable impacts on benthic communities in the Sanctuary.
Some argued that these activities might be dramatically changing
community compositions and affecting ecosystem processes.
Repeated
interest was expressed in the use of marine zoning within the
Sanctuary as a means to realize specific management goals. A
zoning plan would delineate areas within the Sanctuary that
limit or exclude particular activities (such as fishing with
mobile gear). Part of a zoning plan might involve no-take marine
reserves, areas that exclude fishing activity entirely, for
a subset of each major seafloor habitat type. Opportunity exists
to work cooperatively with the National Marine Fisheries Service
and the New England Fishery Management Council in addressing
this issue.
Other
areas of concern focused on human impacts to living marine resources
from such activities as ghost fishing (lost gear that continues
to fish), fiber optic cable installation, ocean dumping, marine
debris, off-shore mariculture and coastal run-off. Many argued
for increased efforts to better understand Sanctuary biodiversity
and impacts of human activity on the site ecosystem, placing
greater emphasis on conservation. The need for monitoring ecosystem
condition was expressed, as was boundary expansion to include
more diverse habitat types.
Concern
A: Alteration of Sanctuary Habitat by Human Activity
Possible
Actions:
• Calculate Recovery Rates of Seafloor Habitat and Associated
Species
• Implement Marine Zoning Approach to Management
Concern
B: Need for More Detailed Site Characterization
Possible
Actions:
• Design and Implement a Spatially-Referenced Inventory
of Habitat Types in the Sanctuary
• Establish a Habitat Research Reference Area Within the
Sanctuary Section
of the Western Gulf of Maine Closure Area
• Undertake an Integrated Analysis of Food Web Relationships
in the Sanctuary
• Strengthen Cooperative Efforts with Other Regional Resource
Management Agencies
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