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Feature Articles
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Stand up, be counted on Stellwagen's future
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This article is reprinted with permission of Commercial Fisheries News, the Northeast's fishing newspaper for over 30 years, ©2003 Compass Publications Inc. Commercial Fisheries News is published monthly; annual subscriptions are $21.95. To subscribe or request a sample issue: call (877) 263-4496; fax (207) 367-2490; e-mail (cfoster@fish-news.com); or click on the hot link.
Commercial Fisheries News editorial
Stellwagen Bank is one of the most productive fishing areas in the Northeast. It also holds the notable distinction of being one of only 13 national marine sanctuaries in the country.
And that will undoubtedly make it a natural candidate for no-fishing zones in the eyes of some individuals and interest groups, especially in light of the current intense interest in establishing marine protected areas in the Gulf of Maine.
How Stellwagen will be managed in the future will in large part depend on the outcome of discussions by the new Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC). The SAC, which held its first meeting early in November, is charged with developing recommendations over the next year or so for revising the current sanctuary management plan.
It is reassuring to know that there is a strong commitment among SAC members and the sanctuary manager to do their work carefully, reasonably, and with extensive public involvement.
At the same time, it is unsettling to hear just how many different viewpoints there are among SAC members - and the groups that work to influence them - as to what it means to meet the broad goals of the federal marine sanctuary program.
There are single-minded, vocal, and influential people out there who are passionate about closing vast stretches of the ocean to any form of human activity, except, perhaps, passive monitoring and study. Others say commercial fishing might be OK in some areas, as long as it doesn't involve gillnetters or draggers.
These are people who want to save the biodiversity of the ocean floor, save the fish, save the sea birds, and, by doing that, they believe, save humanity.
Enlarging the existing Western Gulf of Maine Closed Area that overlaps the Stellwagen sanctuary is a no-brainer for some of these folks. As one representative on the SAC put it, "We want to put sanctuary into 'the sanctuary.' We want to put some muscle into that word."
The Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary was established by Congress in 1992 with the support of commercial fishermen's groups. Fueling that support was a desire to protect the 842-square-mile area between Cape Ann and Cape Cod from oil and gas drilling, sand and gravel mining, and discharge from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's sewage outfall pipe.
While fishermen were told at the time that creating the sanctuary would not preclude fishing activities, there was no guarantee that additional fishing restrictions wouldn't be imposed in the future if the sanctuary management plan called for them. The only assurances were that the sanctuary was intended to support multiples uses and that any fishing restrictions would be implemented through the New England Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service rather than imposed by the sanctuary itself.
It is critical that fishing interests be well represented as the Stellwagen sanctuary management plan is revised. There will be a variety of ways to do that. Support the industry representatives on the SAC - Bill Adler of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association for fixed gear and Bill Amaru of Orleans, MA for mobile gear. Attend SAC meetings that are open to the public. And consider serving on SAC working groups.
One thing is certain. The environmental community will be there. It's important that theirs aren't the only voices heard.
For more information on the Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary, call the sanctuary at (781) 545-8026 or visit the sanctuary web site at http://www.stellwagen.nos.noaa.gov.
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