| 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 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 Silver Spring NOAA office.
Additional discussions about EFH designations and levels of protection are ongoing in the Habitat Technical Team.
Here's a first take on the shift in fishing effort caused by adoption of the
offshore Closed Areas (1994) suggesting unintended habitat effects. Similar results of management choices are
indicated for both the Western Gulf of Maine and Rolling Closures.
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
natural gas pipelines,and fibre-optic cables in spiderwebs
across the continental shelf, as well as proposals to build large scale
windfarms and other alternative energy projects along the New England Coast.
Where are all these efforts going?
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