Study Area and Priority Uses

Hi,

Couple comments regarding the study area, I suggest we move the northern border north to the NH/MA border and, for at least the area north of Cape Ann, we should move it shoreward.   I think that will put more services and use interactions in play.  For example, the draft plan has a provisional renewable energy zone north of Gloucester.  The regional planning agencies will also have the authority to site community wind projects (right now less than 10 windmills) between 1-3 miles of state waters.  There are also Plum Island, the national wildlife refuge, and significant recreational and commercial vessel traffic coming out of the Merrimack River. 

Also, Ben, Carrie and I had a follow up conversation to refine the priority uses that were discussed on our last call.  We suggest the following:

- Commercial fishing - focus on lobster fishery as that is the dominant fishery in that area.  Do we want to consider others?

- Energy - consider potential energy infrastructure (structures in the water) - cables, pipelines, and windmills.  There's also a wave energy pilot in that area.  The LNG platforms further south and a power cable coming from the north could inform this.   

- Ecotourism - still not sure how we're defining this one

- Navigation - commercial fishing navigation, other commerical vessel navigation, and recreational traffic.  We have AIS data for some commercial vessel traffic, VMS data for some commercial fishing traffic and qualitative recreational boating data (key rec boating areas).  DMF asserts that the recreational fishing survey conducted for the draft plan provides a good picture of important recreational fishing areas (but no associated data). 

-  Conservation/Habitat preservation - the wildlife refuge and western gulf of maine fishery closure could inform this

Any thoughts?

Nick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editing Nick's post with some additional details added to what Nick provided before.

 

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Couple comments regarding the study area:

Nick suggested we move the northern border of the study area north to the NH/MA border and, for at least the area north of Cape Ann, move it shoreward.   That will put more services and use interactions in play.  For example, the draft plan has a provisional renewable energy zone north of Gloucester.  The regional planning agencies will also have the authority to site community wind projects (right now less than 10 windmills) between 1-3 miles of state waters.  There are also Plum Island, the national wildlife refuge, and significant recreational and commercial vessel traffic coming out of the Merrimack River.

 

Also, Ben, Carrie and I had a follow up conversation to refine the priority uses that were discussed on our last call.  We suggest the following:

 

- Commercial fishing - focus on lobster fishery as that is the dominant fishery in that area (economically).  Do we want to consider others?

 

- Energy - consider potential energy infrastructure (structures in the water) - cables, pipelines, and windmills.  There's also a wave energy pilot in that area and a proposed fiber optic cable.  The existing LNG platforms further south and a power cable coming from the north could inform this. If we think of these existing structures as analogs to potential future infrastructure developments, then we are poised to evaluate tradeoffs of things like community based wind, if and when they are proposed within the region.

 

- Ecotourism - still not sure how we're defining this one. Currently the only good existing data are for whale watching. Surfing, kayaking, beach visitation and other forms of wildlife viewing are also important uses of the area, but not well captured by existing data. Other recreational (but non-ecotourism uses) may also be important, especially recreational boating and recreational fishing, but again, existing data are inadequate.

 

- Navigation - commercial fishing navigation, other commercial vessel navigation, and recreational traffic.  We have AIS data for some commercial vessel traffic (ships >300 tons), VMS data for some commercial fishing traffic and qualitative recreational boating data (key rec boating areas).  The NMS may have more additional data on recreational fishing and boating vessels and whale watching vessels – these layers are in development by Stellwagen NMS for Mass Bay. DMF asserts that the recreational fishing survey conducted for the draft plan provides a good picture of important recreational fishing areas (but no associated data on intensity of use).

 

-  Conservation/Habitat preservation - the wildlife refuge and western gulf of maine fishery closure could inform this