Stellwagen Bank Final EIS and Management Plan 



Page 9 



PART TWO: 

 PLAN 



SANCTUARY MANAGEMENT 



Section I: A Management Plan for the Stellwagen 

 Bank National Marine Sanctuary 



A. Introduction 



National marine sanctuaries are established in 

 areas of the marine environment which have been 

 selected for their conservation, recreational, 

 ecological, historical, research, educational, or 

 aesthetic values. Regulations implementing the 

 National Marine Sanctuary Program (15 CFR Part 

 922) require the preparation of management plans 

 for all proposed sanctuaries. These management 

 plans identify long-term, comprehensive strategies 

 for the administration and operation of marine 

 sanctuaries following designation. Strategies focus 

 on the site's goals and objectives, management 

 responsibilities, research and interpretation/ 

 education programs, and plan implementation 

 policies. The management plan is also a pubUc 

 document, providing information to government 

 agencies, research and education institutions, other 

 organizations, and the interested pubUc on how, 

 why, and by whom the Sanctuary will be protected 

 and managed. 



The management plan establishes an 

 administrative framework for the Sanctuary that 

 considers the cooperation and coordination 

 necessary to ensure effective management. The 

 Sanctuaries and Reserves Division (SRD), of the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

 (NOAA), however, retains overall responsibility for 

 site management. 



Program regulations also require that progress 

 towards implementation of the management plan 

 and the goals of a designated Sanctuary be 

 evaluated every five years (or sooner). Evaluation 

 takes into account the variability of funding for staff 

 and program development, and recognizes the 

 effects on specific aspects of plan implementation. 

 Modifications to the scope and scale of a 

 Sanctuary's programs may be required due to 

 unforeseeable changes in funding levels. However, 

 the goals and objectives of the management plan 

 remain unchanged. 



B. Sanctuary Goals and Objectives 



Sanctuary goals and objectives provide the 

 framework for developing management strategies. 

 The goals and objectives direct Sanctuary activities 

 towards the dual purposes of resource conservation 

 and public use, and are consistent with the intent of 

 the National Marine Sanctuary Program. 



Management strategies planned for the 

 Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary are 

 focused on the goals and objectives outlined below. 

 Although Sanctuary goals and objectives are listed 

 discretely, their effects overlap. For instance, 

 research and interpretation/education efforts 

 contribute both to resource protection, and to 

 enhancement of public use of the Sanctuary. 



1. Resource Protection 



The highest priority management goal is 

 protection of the marine environment and resources 

 of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. 

 Specific objectives of the resource protection 

 program are to: 



• Establish cooperative agreements and other 

 mechanisms for coordination among all the 

 agencies participating in Sanctuary 

 management; 



• Develop an effective and coordinated program 

 for the enforcement of Sanctuary regulations; 



• Promote pubUc awareness of and voluntary 

 user compUance with regulations through an 

 interpretation/education program stressing 

 resource sensitivity and wise use; and 



• Reduce threats to Sanctuary resources posed by 

 major emergencies through contingency and 

 emergency response planning. 



2. Research 



Both site- and resource-specific research has been 

 conducted in the Stellwagen Bank/Cape Cod and 

 Massachusetts Bays areas, particularly with regard 

 to cetacean use. Sanctuary research will build upon 

 existing data to improve overall understanding of 



