Stellwagen Bank Final EIS and Management Plan 



Page 80 



for well over a year, funded through an 

 environmental trust fund with monies derived from 

 the settlement of a lawsuit over pollution in Boston 

 Harbor. The initial work of the Bays Program has 

 been to set up the infrastructure for the NEP, and 

 initiate the research which will provide the strong 

 technical basis for the Comprehensive Plan. 



The timing of the NEP designation provides a 

 unique opportunity for the NEP and the National 

 Marine Sanctuary Program to explore various ways 

 these two programs can be linked for their mutual 

 benefit. Given the high degree of coordination 

 existing between these Programs and the MCZM, 

 further opportunities are presented for Coastal 

 Programs to add to, and benefit from this 

 relationship. 



d. International Management: The Gulf of 

 Maine Initiative 



Initiated a few years ago as a joint program 

 funded under Section 309 of the Coastal Zone 

 Management Act, the Gulf of Maine Initiative 

 involves the States of Maine, New Hampshire, and 

 Massachusetts, and now includes the Provinces of 

 New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. A Gulf of Maine 

 Council, made up of representatives from each of 

 the States and Provinces bordering the Gulf of 

 Maine, was recently empaneled with the charge of 

 protecting the resources of the Gulf through 

 coordinated action on critical issues. While the 

 goals and objectives of the Council are quite broad, 

 the international coordination and cooperation 

 provided by the Council are a vehicle to facihtate 

 future efforts on specific issues. 



One of the first Council tasks was to provide 

 the framework for a coordinated monitoring 

 program for the Gulf of Maine. This task has been 

 completed, and pilot monitoring studies are being 

 implemented. 



B. Resource Protection 



long-term protection for these resources, the 

 Sanctuary resource protection program will include: 

 1) coordination of policies and procedures among 

 agencies currently possessing resource protection 

 responsibilities; 2) participation by other agencies in 

 the development of new procedures to address 

 specific management concerns (e.g., long-term 

 monitoring and emergency-response programs); and 

 3) enforcement of Sanctuary regulations, in addition 

 to enhancement of enforcement of regulations 

 already in place. 



2. Designation Document and Sanctuary 

 Regulations 



A summary of existing regulatory mechanisms 

 apphcable in the area of the Stellwagen Bank 

 National Marine Sanctuary is presented in Part 

 Three, Section I (Status Quo Alternative). 

 Sanctuary designation will have no direct effect on 

 these existing regulations. The Designation 

 Document (Appendix A) describes the relationship 

 between the Sanctuary's regulatory program and 

 other regulatory programs. The Designation 

 Document also includes: 



• a Ust of activities subject to regulation 

 immediately upon the Sanctuary's designation, 

 or in the future; 



• regulations for specified activities; and 



• provisions for establishment of additional 

 regulations, as necessary. 



To ensure protection of Sanctuary resources 

 2md conservation of the Stellwagen Bank ecosystem, 

 NOAA proposes additional regulations governing 

 generally discharges and disposals, alterations of the 

 seabed, development of industrial materials, 

 placement of submerged cables or pipelines, 

 incineration of trash, lightering, taking of 

 historic/cuhural resources, and disturbance of 

 marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds. 



1. General Context for Management 



Designation of the Stellwagen Bank National 

 Marine Sanctuary will focus public attention on the 

 value of the area's resources. To ensure enhanced, 



a. Discharges and Deposits 



Discharges and deposits of materials within the 

 Sanctuary are prohibited. Discharge or deposit 

 from beyond Sanctuary boundaries is also 



