The monitoring projects in the following inventory take place in or around Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Projects are conducted by either Sanctuary staff or by our partners. Summary information is presented for each.
For more information about the monitoring activities at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, please click here, and review the Sanctuary Condition Report.
Massachusetts Port Authority, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (North East Fishery Science Center), United States Coast Guard, International Fund for Animal Welfare
Keyword(s)
cetaceans, vessel traffic
Baleen Whale Entanglement
Lead
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Objective
Monitor the number of entangled baleen whales reported from within the sanctuary.
Method
Reports to SBNMS are used to assess and track entanglement numbers.
Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Keyword(s)
real time, ocean observing, data buoy
Northeast Regional Association for Coastal and Ocean Observing (NERACOOS)
Lead
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Objective
Real-time monitoring of meteorological and oceanographic parameters
Method
Automated buoy collects continuous data of oceanographic and meteorological parameters.
Status
Duration
Frequency
Active
1980 - present
Continuous
Links
Information Not Available
Partners
Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership, Open Geospatial Consortium, Alliance for Coastal Technologies, Southeastern Universities Research Association Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction
Keyword(s)
GMOOS, NERACOOS, ocean observing, real time
Commercial Fish Sizes
Lead
NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service
Objective
Monitor the maximum length of commercial fish species represented in NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service groundfish survey database for the area of the SBNMS.
Method
Service trawl surveys are used to collect samples and assess maximum lengths.
Assess ocean background noise at different frequencies in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, characterize the noise, and understand the acoustic environment experienced and created by vocally-active animals in the SBNMS.
Method
Deployment of marine autonomous recording units (MARUs) to record low-frequency underwater sound (10 to 1000 Hz).
Monitor commercial fishing vessels and activities occurring within the SBNMS. Data include pounds landed and value by species and gear-type (fish) and number of vessels by port of registry and port of landing (vessels).
Method
Vessel trip reports to NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service are used to assess fisheries within the SBNMS.
Status
Duration
Frequency
Active
1996 -present
Continuous
Links
Not Applicable
Partners
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Keyword(s)
fish, human use
Acoustic Tagging
Lead
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Objective
Use acoustic recording tags (DTAGs) and data visualization software (GeoZUI4D and TrackPlot) to provide fine-scaled data on the underwater behavior of whales.
Method
Attach acoustic tags to whales via suction from a boat with a long pole. Data collected from tag is then transmitted wireless via satellite when whale surfaces.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of New Hampshire, Duke University, University of Hawaii, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, Whale Center of New England
Keyword(s)
cetaceans, whales, acoustics
Historical Ecology
Lead
Andrew Rosenberg (University of New Hampshire)
Objective
Historic documents are analyzed to provide information on ecosystem status and resources in centuries past in the sanctuary.
Method
Data are extracted from existing historical sources (ship logs, landing records, etc.)
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, University of New Hampshire
Keyword(s)
ecosystem status, historical ecology
Stellwagen Sanctuary Seabird Stewards Program (S4)
Lead
Anne-Marie Runfola
Objective
Over 100 citizen scientists assist sanctuary and Mass Audubon staff in collecting data with the goals to: systematically collect baseline data on seabirds within sanctuary boundaries to compare populations over time; educate the public about seabirds and connect residents with their sanctuary; and train a group of observers to join our scientists in this groundbreaking project. The resulting data will be used to compare relative abundance of seabirds over time--to help us understand populations within the sanctuary and their possible impacts on local ecosystems and as a barometer for other changes in the environment.
Method
Standardized and non-standardized shipboard survey
Status
Duration
Frequency
Active
2011 to present
Weekly from May - October, and quarterly for standardized surveys on Auk
Links
Information Not Available
Partners
Massachusetts Audubon Society
Keyword(s)
seabirds, survey, habitat use, relative abundance
Whale Watching Data Collection in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Lead
Michael Thompson
Objective
Volunteers from the Coast Guard Auxiliary are trained by sanctuary staff to collect data from whale watching vessels operating in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Volunteers map the path of the cruise with a GPS unit and make observations regarding the behaviors and sightings of marine mammals and other vessels encountered while on the cruise. In addition, they report violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, entanglements and other issues. They send GPS tracks and data to sanctuary staff for compilation and analysis. These data have been used for the Mass Ocean Plan Cumulative Impacts Assessment projects and Ecosystem Services and acoustic modeling of the sanctuary. This project allows retired Coast Guard members to maintain a presence on the water, while providing data that the sanctuary could not obtain otherwise.
