Ocean ecosystems are degraded and suffering. Discover how and why. Take action with Stellwagen Alive and ORI to better understand what is happening with a Sanctuary Ecological Research Area (SERA). Please sign our letter and state why you care.

Sanctuary mapped in blue shows most fishing effort is outside of research areas. Middle box to be closed to all fishing.

Overview
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is a vital ocean realm. Home to over five hundred species of sea creatures, part of four ecosystems as defined by bottom types: sand, gravel, mud and boulder. Ecosystems of Stellwagen have been damaged and are at risk of great losses. Join with us in a campaign to understand better the how's and why's of ocean ecosystem research. Discover how together we can rescue ocean habitats for the fish, for the whales, for our ways of lives.

The SERA proposal calls for closing to fishing only 14% of the Sanctuary with an additional and adjacent 15% closed to either commercial or recreational fishing while researching the impacts of the other.  The no-fishing reference area that excludes all forms of fishing is called Subarea A. Research in Subarea A would address questions related to the coupling of pelagic and seafloor communities. For example, research elsewhere has demonstrated that pelagic predators pursue prey towards the seafloor and enhance feeding opportunities for demersal and other pelagic species (e.g., Auster et al., 2009). The no-fishing reference site would allow research that assesses the full suite of seafloor habitat impacts, as well as linkages between pelagic and demersal-benthic communities, especially those mediated by the behavior of highly mobile species.  Subarea A would also protect four shipwrecks at three sites currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places from adverse impacts due to fishing.

As the first step, the proposal is submitted to the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) for inclusion in its Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Amendment process, under provisions of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, pursuant to authorization under the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MFCMA).

--Preamble, SERA DRAFT Proposal, September 2011

Because this proposal is comprehensive in scope, it will be submitted for consideration to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (for provisions in the proposal regarding dogfish, bluefish, surf clam and ocean quahog management) and to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (for provisions regarding menhaden, lobster and pink shrimp management), the latter pursuant to authorization under the Atlantic Coastal Fishery Cooperative and Management Act, as well as to the NMFS Highly Migratory Species Management Division (for provisions regarding bluefin tuna, billfish and shark management), pursuant to authorization under the MFCMA and the Atlantic Tunas Conservation Act.

--Preamble, SERA DRAFT Proposal, September 2011

Location: Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary, between Massachusetts Bay and the Gulf of Maine

ERA Proposal Coordinates (Proposed Subarea A closed to all fishing, Subarea B in the Sliver, currently closed to commercial, Subarea C closed to recreational fishing)

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