Our next challenge under the Sustainable Fisheries Act as is developing areas that give protection to the juveniles of commercial species. In the image above the colored areas represent expanded circles around the USGS grab sample points (Poppe, Polloni, USGS Open File Report 00-358). Green is for mud, the yellow sand, and the reds gravel to boulders. It's clear from this image that most of the hard bottom samples are on the Canadian side of the ICJ line. Note also that for most of the offshore area, there was only one grab sample for each 10 minute square or 75 square miles. Why are we interested in substrate geology? For one it has been used as a first cut placeholder for habitat. Careful reading of the grab sample database details may dispell some of this notion but for now it is the best we have and used on a daily basis.

The EFH maps produced by Mike Pentony, NEFMC staff, were for the most part developed from the annual NEFSC trawl surveys data. These same data are being used to develop area management measures for Amendment 10 to the Scallop FMP, Amendment 13 to the Groundfish Plan, and in part for the Habitat Technical Team recommendations for gerrymandering the existing Closed Areas for expanded habitat based restrictions.

Bycatch of small cod and haddock seemingly plays a secondary role in development of the options for area management. It is clear that the existing areas were not designed to protect juveniles as they were originally outgrowths of seasonal spawning area closures.

Legend: diameter increases with number of fish/tow
Green = Cod, <15cm, Spring trawl survey
Red = Cod, <15cm, Fall trawl survey
Blue = Haddock, <15cm, Summer scallop dredge survey, n=466
Yellow= Cod, <15cm, Summer scallop dredge survey, n=206,
Time period 1982 on

Mass Division of Marine Fisheries surveys of state waters along the Massachusetts coast have found many small cod, both spring and fall (Howe,et al, 2000). In fact it appears that there are many single tows that collected a greater number of small fish than the entire time series in the federal zone.

The Theroux, Wigley Report (NMFS) offers yet another dataset for consideration and integration in the discussion. Here we find what and how many species and individuals live where.

At this stage there are Closed Areas (with parts of them occasionally open to fishing), open areas (some of which are closed to fishing for large parts of the year), more areas being readied by Scallop Amendment 10 and Groundfish Amendment 13, talk of Habitat Research Areas, a Habitat of Particular Concern (HAPC) on the Northern Edge of Georges (which likely serves to export small cod to Canadian waters), a proposed Habitat of Particular Concern along the beach to 5 fathoms (which has not been acted upon, and would likely serve to shift some of the responsibility for fisheries rebuilding away from the fishing fleets and onto landbased activities). The end result of all these efforts is the development of many area management schemes, with differing rationales and configurations. Add to this the newly energized group set on updating the management plan for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, including consideration of nofly zones. The MPA initiative continues along in the background within that year old NOAA Silver Spring office. Additional discussions about levels of protection designations are ongoing in the Habitat Committee.

To these add the area blocks set up for leasing by the Minerals Management Service, the existing Canadian lease areas, and the multiple projects proposed and already underway to run a natural gas pipeline and fibre-optic cables in spiderwebs across the continental shelf.