Sanctuary Ecological Research Area (SERA) Proposal Presentation to the NEFMC Habitat Committee

April 6, 2012

“America’s Underwater Treasures”

SBNMS Final Management Plan

Strategy 2.1 of the Ecosystem Alteration Plan addresses the need to establish true reference areas.

• (2.1) Develop a process to establish reference areas that serve as benchmarks for discerning human and natural impacts on habitat.

NEFMC EFH Omnibus Amendment process

Re-evaluate existing and proposed closed areas in the Gulf of Maine

• Phase I (completed) identified and mapped EFH

• Phase II (underway) involves quantification and mitigation of fishing gear impacts including consideration of designated habitat research areas (DHRAs)

Create reference and treatment areas for long-term scientific studies to assess and conserve biological diversity and to minimize adverse effects to essential fish habitat. a,b Management needs to know, for example:

Research Objectives

• How habitat quality contributes to fisheries productivity (fisheries productivity)

• How differing levels of natural and fishing gear disturbance affect spatial patterns of biological diversity (biodiversity)

• What constitutes a mature and ecologically resilient seafloor community (and its relation to biological diversity and fisheries productivity)

• How are seafloor and overlying water column communities linked ecologically

a SERA research design considerations allow for testing SASI model assumptions identified during peer review.

b SERA design considerations can address research questions identified by the Habitat Committee PDT.

Fishing Gear Types Proposed to be

Allowed Within SERA Subarea

• Proposed area would cover 251 sq. nautical miles or 0.9% of Gulf of Maine

• Proposed area would cover 39% of SBNMS

• WGoM Habitat Closure Area currently overlaps SBNMS by 22%

• Realize Equitable Habitat Representation

• Control for Oceanographic Regimes

• Minimize Impact to Fishing Activities

Criteria for Site Selection

MudSandGravelBoulder

SBNMS Subarea A

Sliver

Principal Oceanographic

Regimes

Maine Surface( 0 – 60 m )

Intermediate( 61 – 150 m )

Deep Water( > 150 m )

Total VTR TripsMay 1, 1998-2009

(118,174 trips)

Total VTR TripsMay 1, 1998-2009

(118,174 trips) Mobile 4.6

Fixed 4.8

Party 0.9

Charter 0.6

Com Hnd 0.2

All Gear 11.2

Affected Trips (%)

VTR Data – May 1, 1998 to 2009

VTR Data – May 1, 1998 to 2009

Recreational Fishing

Recreational Fishing

May – October 2010

Last trip of each month

May – October 2010

Last trip of each month

Mass OceanPartnership Recreational

Boating Survey

Mass OceanPartnership Recreational

Boating Survey

Yellow lines = Routes Fished

Purple polygons = Areas Fished

Yellow lines = Routes Fished

Purple polygons = Areas Fished

Difference in hard substrate seafloor sites after seven years.

Bottom tending fishing gear allowed

Bottom tending fishing gear prohibited

Over 15 million optical images(1 meter width) in SBNMS