Stellwagen Bank Final EIS and Management Plan 



Page 102 



Evaluation List (SEL) of candidate sites qualified 

 for possible futiu-e consideration as national marine 

 sanctuaries. Placement of the Stellwagen Bank site 

 onto the final SEL indicates that the proposed area 

 has been determined by NOAA to meet four site 

 identification criteria established to assess the value 

 of any site proposed as a national marine sanctuary. 

 Those criteria are categorized as: 1) natural 

 resource values; 2) human-use values; 3) potential 

 activity impacts; and 4) management concerns. 

 Management concerns may include such concerns as 

 relationship to other programs; management of a 

 conservation unit; accessibility; surveillance and 

 enforcement; and economic considerations. 



As a result of its high natural resource values, 

 this alternative includes most of the 'focused "areas 

 for commercial and recreational whalewatching 

 activities. Much of the historical and current fishing 

 activities are also focused on the areas encompassed 

 by this boundary. The boundary therefore also 

 encompasses a majority of those areas of highest 

 interest to the research community, and of highest 

 use by other commercial interests and the general 

 public. 



The southern border of boundary alternative 

 #2 coincides with the seaward limit of 

 Commonwealth of Massachusetts jurisdictional 

 waters adjacent to the Commonwealth-designated 

 Cape Cod Bay Ocean Sanctuary; and is also 

 tangential to waters designated by the 

 Commonwealth as the Cape Cod Ocean Sanctuary. 

 The connection between boundary alternative #2 

 and these areas estabUshes the potential for 

 NOAA/Commonwealth cooperative ocean 

 management efforts, through the Massachusetts 

 Ocean Sanctuary Program and the Massachusetts 

 Bays Program/NEP. 



Boundary alternative #2 does not encompass 

 any of the Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site 

 (MBDS), as currently proposed for permanent 

 designation by EPA. 



3. Boundarv Alternative #3 



Boundary alternative #3 (Figure 20) would 

 establish a Sanctuary area of approximately 702 

 square nautical miles (927 square miles). The 



western, northwestern, northern, and eastern 

 borders of this boundary alternative are expanded 

 from boundary alternative #2, so as to encompass 

 all of the Stellwagen Bank feature, TiUies Bank, and 

 southern portions of Jeffreys Ledge, located north 

 of Stellwagen Bank. With the exception of that 

 portion which extends further westward into 

 Stellwagen Basin, the southern border is the same 

 as boundary alternative #2. As with boundary 

 alternative #2, the southern border of boundary 

 alternative #3 coincides with the seaward limit of 

 Commonwealth of Massachusetts jiu^isdictional 

 waters adjacent to the Commonwealth-designated 

 Cape Cod Bay Ocean Sanctuary; and is also 

 tangential to waters designated by the 

 Commonwealth as the Cape Cod Ocean Sanctuary. 

 The northwestern border extension additionally 

 expands the Sanctuary to coincide with coastal 

 ocean waters designated by the Commonwealth of 

 Massachusetts as the North Shore Ocean Sanctuary. 



Boundary alternative #3 is marked by the 

 following coordinates, which indicate the northeast, 

 southeast, southwest, west-northwest, and north- 

 northwest points: 42°45 59.83 'N x 70°D 01.77 'W 

 (NE); 42''05 55.51'N x 70°02 08.14 "W (SE); 

 42°0813.90'N x 70°35 03.80'W (SW); 42°32 53.52 'N 

 X 70°3552.38'W (WNW); and 42*39 04.08'N x 

 70°30ll.29'W (NNW). (Additional coordinates are 

 noted at Figure 20.) 



In addition to encompassing all of the 

 'focused" areas for commercial and recreational 

 whalewatching and fishing activities, this boundary 

 alternative also includes additional habitat areas 

 important to invertebrate, fish and cetacean species. 

 Adoption of boundary alternative #3 would also 

 strengthen the potential for increased cooperative 

 ocean management plaiming between the National 

 Marine Sanctuary Program and the Commonwealth 

 through the Massachusetts Oce2in Sanctuary 

 Program and the Massachusetts Bays 

 Program/NEP. 



Boundary alternative #3 encompasses all of 

 the 'bterim" Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site 

 (MBDS), which is used for the disposal of dredged 

 materials. The EPA is currently proposing to 



