NOAA
RELEASES FIRST REPORT ON HEALTH OF
STELLWAGEN BANK NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
April 19, 2007
Contact:
Anne Smrcina
Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary
(781) 545-8026 ext. 204
NOAA's
National Marine Sanctuary Program today released the first-ever
status report evaluating the health of Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen
Bank National Marine Sanctuary, home to one of the richest and
most productive marine ecosystems in the nation. The Stellwagen
Bank National Marine Sanctuary Condition Report presents an initial
summary of the pressures and trends facing sanctuary resources,
which sanctuary staff will address in detail in the upcoming Stellwagen
Bank National Marine Sanctuary Draft Management Plan.
The
condition report, which examines the status of everything from
water quality in the sanctuary to its endangered right whale population,
distills a wealth of information about the sanctuary's complex
marine resources into a straightforward, easily understandable
document.
The
status and trends of the four main resource categories examined
in the report - water, habitat, living resources and maritime
archaeological resources - are summarized in a color-coded table
ranging from "good" to "poor," with notes
on the basis for the ratings and sanctuary responses to various
pressures.
"A
great deal of thought went into the process of making the Stellwagen
Bank sanctuary condition report easily understandable," said
Stellwagen Bank sanctuary Superintendent Craig MacDonald. "It's
a lot of complex information that has been assimilated in a concise,
straightforward visual way."
More
than half of the categories examined in the report had fair through
poor ratings, with eight to ten relating to habitat or marine
life resources. The general trend for marine life appears to be
static and in need of improvements, an indication that pressures
on marine life are high, requiring targeted management efforts.
The status of seafloor communities and habitats remains problematic
as well. The report also suggests that monitoring programs for
water quality and a number of other resources (e.g., habitat contaminants
and invasive species) needs to be enhanced.
Topping
the list of concerns for the sanctuary are threats like damage
from fishing gear to seafloor habitat and archaeological sites,
depletion of some key species, and ship collisions with whales.
The
report was compiled by sanctuary staff with the help of qualified
experts, drawing on data taken from a wide range of past studies
of sanctuary resources. The report was also peer-reviewed by science
experts in accordance with standards outlined in the Infromation
Quality Act.
The
completion of the Stellwagen Bank condition report is the first
step in the sanctuary program's efforts to compile similar evaluations
of every site in the National Marine Sanctuary System. With several
more condition reports slated for completion in 2007, sanctuary
program staff will continue to work toward the goal of creating
a sound baseline for scientific monitoring throughout every marine
sanctuary in the nation.
Such
a reporting tool will give marine resource managers an unprecedented
ability to evaluate environmental changes and potential threats
to some of the nation's most precious underwater areas, allowing
them to make well-informed and timely management decisions.
The
full report is now available online at sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/condition,
along with an interactive Web version featuring a breakdown of
its findings.
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary encompasses 842 square
miles of ocean, stretching between Cape Ann and Cape Cod offshore
of Massachusetts. Renowned for its scenic beauty and remarkable
productivity, the sanctuary supports a rich assortment of marine
life, including marine mammals, more than 30 species of seabirds,
over 60 species of fishes, and hundreds of marine invertebrates.
NOAA's
National Marine Sanctuary Program seeks to increase the public
awareness of America's marine resources and maritime heritage
by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration and
educational programs. Today, the sanctuary program manages 13
national marine sanctuaries and one marine national monument that
together encompass more than 150,000 square miles of America's
ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.
High
resolution images for this press release are available at: http://stellwagen.noaa.gov/pgallery/pg_cr_images.html
Digital
video footage for this press release is also available. Low resolution
video clips are available at: http://stellwagen.noaa.gov/pgallery/videography.html
[Media
representatives should contact the sanctuary for information on
downloading high resolution files.]
On
the Web:
NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov/
NOAA National Ocean Service: http://www.oceanservice.noaa.gov/
National Marine Sanctuary Program: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/
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