John Fiorentir.o 5,n--n„^ 



Madeline Walsh (Urban Harbors Ir.szi-.ute , U. M=ss . . Bos.o..) 



Winifred Pisar: 



Sam Knighi 



Petsr Kube ('J.S. Army Corps of Engineers) 



Deirdre Kimball 



Douglas Franklin 



Dr. David Kcrinoto (Regis College; 



Dr. Larry Kelts (Merrimack College 



Joan Mai 1 



STELLWAGi::; BANK 



COMMEP.CI.AL FISHERIES 



COOPZHATIVE 



Box 396 



Scituate, Massachusetts 



o:s66 



March 13, 

 Mr. Joseph Uravitch, Chief 

 Sanctuaries and Reserves Division 

 Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

 1825 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 714 

 Washington, D.C. 20235 



1991 



1. 



^. 



Dear Mr. Uravitch, 



Thank-you for giving me an opportunity to comment on the 

 DEIS/DMP for the proposed Stellvagen Bank National Marine 

 Sanctuary. I have been working on the Stelluagen Bank Sanctuary 

 issue for over a year now and have been in direct contact with 

 fishermen and their association representatives concerning 

 this process. 



Commercial fishermen have harvested the Stellvagen area 

 for generations. They care deeply about their resource, water 

 quality and habitat protection. The fishermen remain skeptical 

 about a marine sanctuary in their home fishing grounds. They 

 wonder whether a marine sanctuary will really be beneficial 

 or just more of the bureaucratic game. The quality and strength 

 of your revisions to the final designation documents will 

 determine their support or non-support. 



Fishermen endorse stronger language on some aspects of 

 the draft, as do many others. If a sanctuary is designated 

 at Stellvagen Bank, they support full funding of the sanctuary, 

 with an on-site manager, education coordinator, research 

 coordinator and appropriate enforcement capabilities. They do not 

 support a paper sanctuary. 



Fishermen are very concerned with how increased awareness 

 and use of a marine sanctuary on Stellwagen will affect their 

 ability to fish the 'Middle Bank'. They want to have a part 

 in the management process for their sanctuary. They endorse 

 the idea of a formal advisory committee, heavily seated with 

 historic user groups, including several members of the distinct 

 and seperate major commercial fisheries taking place at Stellwagen. 

 This advisory committee should represent the people directly 

 _involved with the sanctuary daily. 



It is disappointing to see the draft stop short on oil and 

 gas exploration. NOAA should recommend a prohibition of offshore 

 hydrocarbon exploration and development now. 

 •~ The political hot potato of where the boundary should be 

 in relation to the Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site is ludicrous. 

 Irregardless of where the western boundary is drawn, water and 

 habitat quality in Stellwagen Basin will be affected by inappropriate 

 uses of the MBDS or inadequate treatment of effluent from the 



STELLWAGEN BANK COMMERCIAL FISHERIES 

 COOPERATIVE 



1. At the time of final Sanctuary 

 designation, NOAA intends to have hired 

 a Sanctuary Manager, and to have identi- 

 fied a Sanctuary headquarters. Shortly 

 thereafter, NOAA anticipates the hiring 

 of additional Sanctuary staff, including 

 a research coordinator, an education 

 coordinator, and one or more enforcement 

 officers. Additionally, NOAA has been 

 directed by Congress to consider estab- 

 lishment of a "satellite" office in 

 Provincetown, Gloucester or Hull, MA. 



2. See generic response 0. 



3. See generic response E. 



4. See generic responses C.2., D.I., and 

 D.2. 



Boston Harbor 

 activities need 

 3 sanctuary sho 

 alternative all 

 but prohibited 

 preferred bound 

 Commercial 

 met with member 

 Committee and f 

 to discuss the 

 should be defin 

 Dr. Stormy Mao, 

 present. NOAA' 

 study area. Th 

 defined in Lora 

 Site. This div 

 NOAA. These Lo 

 link up with wa 

 as the Cape Cod 

 from this meeti 

 of the letter s 

 effort and shou 



utfall Pipe. Ocean disposal and discharge 



the monitoring and higher level of scrutiny 

 uld provide. Fishermen support the preferred 

 owing disposal at the MBDS under sanctuary oversight, 

 elsewhere. Fishermen do not support NCAA's 

 ary and are suggesting a fourth boundary alternative. 



fishermen, representing many different fisheries 

 of the Stellwagen Bank Coalition Steering 

 ederal and state representatives i-n June, 1990, 

 boundary. Fishernen explained why the boundary 

 ed in Loran C lines for ease of navigation. 



who suggested the 'study area' initially, was 

 s preferred boundary alternative is this very 

 at day, the group came up with a sanctuary area 

 n C and encompassing the entire Mass. Bay Disposal 

 erse group agreed to recommend this boundary to 

 ran C lines can easily be extended Southerly to 

 ters designated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 



Ocean Sanctuary. I am submitting the minutes 

 ng, including a list of participants, and a copy 

 ent to NOAA. This was a significant and successful 

 Id not be ignored. 



5. See generic responses B.l. and B.2. 



Page G89 



