Stellwageti Bank Final EIS and Management Plan 



Page 82 



marine environment is the responsibility of Regional 

 Response Teams, directed by the U.S. Coast Guard 

 Marine Safety Office. The Teams will receive 

 scientific support from NOAA, and assistance from 

 other appropriate Federal and State agencies. 



The Oil Pollution Control Act of 1990 (33 

 U.S.C. § 2701) requires the preparation of 

 contingency plans for individual vessels. These 

 plans are reviewed by the U.S. Coast Guard. 



Added protection for Stellwagen Bank 

 resources will be provided through ongoing 

 Sanctuaries and Reserves Division monitoring and 

 assessment of Sanctuary preparedness for 

 emergency situations. SRD's actions will 



incorporate continuing dialogue and information 

 exchange with government, industry and private 

 response teams, in order to enhance support in 

 detection, assessment and clean-up capabilities 

 applicable to the Stellwagen Bank system. 



SRD is developing a National Marine 

 Sanctuary Program contingency and emergency- 

 response plan, with a specific prototype being 

 developed for the Channel Islands National Marine 

 Sanctuary. Sanctuary-specific contingency and 

 emergency-response plans will be prepared for each 

 site in the National system, including Stellwagen 

 Bank. The plan developed for Stellwagen Bank will: 



• outline and describe emergency-response 

 procedures and coordination requirements for 

 SRD and Sanctuary staff; 



• provide a geographic information system (GIS) 



depicting resources at risk; 



• outhne procedures for emergency research; 



• provide guidelines for damage assessment. 



In conjunction with the SRD contingency/ 

 emergency-response plan, cooperative agreements 

 may be formulated to improve spill detection 

 programs and to enhance containment capabihties 

 (i.e., through additional deployment plans, 

 equipment, and staff). Such additional efforts will 

 be closely coordinated through the Sanctuary. 



4. Encouraging Compatible Uses of the 

 Sanctuary 



An important element of resource protection 

 for the Sanctuary is the encouragement of public 

 uses of the site that are compatible with the overall 

 objective of long-term resource and system 

 protection. SRD will foster such compatible public 

 uses by initiating the following actions: 



• monitor commercial and recreational activities 

 within the Sanctuary; and encourage other 

 agencies to undertake similar actions and to 

 improve overall detection of areas for 

 particular management concern; 



• exchange information on commercial and 

 recreational activities occurring within the 

 Sanctuary; 



• consult with other agencies on proposals and 

 poUcies for management of activities which 

 may affect Sanctuary resources; and 



• develop materials designed to enhance pubhc 

 awareness and appreciation of Sanctuary 

 resources and show the need for their 

 protection. 



Anticipated monitoring and information 

 exchange activities are discussed below under 

 Research (Subsection C); and development of 

 public materials is also discussed below under 

 Interpretation (Subsection D). 



5. Surveillance and Enforcement 



Essential to the resource protection program 

 is surveillance of Sanctuary waters and enforcement 

 of Sanctuary and other applicable regulations. The 

 U.S. Coast Guard has broad responsibility for 

 enforcement of Federal laws in navigable waters 

 under U.S. jurisdiction. In the Sanctuary proposal 

 area, enforcement of laws pertaining to fishing 

 harvests are cooperatively the responsibility of the 

 U.S. Coast Guard, the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service (NMFS), and the Commonwealth of 

 Massachusetts (through its Division of 

 Environmental Law Enforcement, within the 

 Massachusetts Department of Fisheries, Wildlife 



