Stellwagen Bank Final EIS and Management Plan 



Page 83 



and Environmental Law Enforcement). Within the 

 exclusive economic zone, responsibility for 

 enforcement of fishing regulations is shared among 

 these agencies. 



Designation of the Sanctuary broadens the 

 enforcement responsibilities of the U.S. Coast 

 Guard with respect to Sanctuary regulations. 

 Should analysis of human use patterns indicate the 

 need for additional surveillance of the Sanctuary, 

 then NOAA will provide for increased enforcement 

 to strengthen resource protection. An evaluation of 

 Sanctuary enforcement effectiveness will be 

 conducted within two years and annually thereafter. 



a. Public Education and Information 



The Sanctuary interpretive program will inform 

 users of the need to use Sanctuary resources wisely. 

 Means for accomplishing this objective will include 

 brochures and other written materials concerning 

 Sanctuary regulations and their purpose. These 

 materials will be available to all Sanctuary users. 



b. Planning and Coordination 



The results of Sanctuary research and 

 surveillance-enforcement activities concerning visitor 

 use patterns, frequently-occurring violations, and 

 potentially sensitive resources will be incorporated 

 into the agendas of periodic meetings between the 

 Sanctuary Manager and enforcement agency 

 personnel, to assist in determining the adequacy of 

 Sanctuary surveillance. 



C. Research 



1. General Context for Management 



Effective management of the Sanctuary 

 requires a research program which addresses 

 management issues. Understanding the 



relationships and interactions among system 

 components, and how the system functions as an 

 ecological unit are critical to developing effective 

 solutions to management problems. Research 

 supported by SRD will primarily be directed toward 

 improving understanding of the Sanctuary system, 

 and how Sanctuary resources may be affected by 

 human activities. The general framework for 



research program activities and the process for 

 preparation of an annual Sanctuary Research Plan 

 are discussed below. 



2. Framework for Research Program 



The Sanctuary Research Program will consist 

 of three primary project categories: 



• baseline studies to determine: featiu^es and 

 processes of the enviroimient; abundance, 

 distribution, and interactions among the Uving 

 resources; and patterns of human activities; 



• monitoring studies to document changes in 

 ecology, environmental quality, and human 

 activities in the Sanctuary; and 



• predictive studies to assess causes and effects 

 of ecological jmd environmental changes, and 

 to anticipate management issues. 



Initial baseline studies will focus on gaining 

 enhanced knowledge and better imderstanding of 

 Sanctuary ecology. Cychc biological productivity 

 levels of the Stellwagen Bank system are subject to 

 changes due to a variety of factors. For example, in 

 recent years, variations in the availability of food 

 sources have contributed to periodic changes in the 

 distribution of cetacean feeding patterns, and may 

 also have contributed to the relative success of 

 commercial fishing efforts. A better understanding 

 of productivity cycles will provide a basis for better 

 imderstanding of relationships among the 

 Sanctuary's living resources, and the effects of 

 variations in those cycles. 



In addition to data bases documenting plant, 

 animal, and non-living components of the Sanctuary, 

 successful management requires knowledge and 

 understanding of long-term changes occurring within 

 the Stellwagen Bank system. Continuing 



monitoring programs could provide the means to 

 such understanding. Ecological changes and trends 

 may be detected through monitoring data which 

 provide indicators of the relative health of Sanctuary 

 resources. 



The monitoring program should include 

 pollution monitoring studies, and studies on species 



