In its nearly two decades of existence, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary has largely existed in name only. The submerged plateau off Massachusetts contains a wealth of whales and shipwrecks and enough biological diversity to rival a South American rainforest, but its bounty and geography also draw fishermen, whale-watching boats, and ships.
Now, a newly released management plan a decade in the making builds the strongest scientific case yet for better protecting the 842-square-mile sanctuary from humans, according to its authors and conservationists.
The federal government report, designed to guide sanctuary conservation efforts over the next five years, stops short of calling for immediate regulation. However, it says managers may develop rules by 2015 to better manage boats that get too close to whales, ensure stricter protection of at least 35 shipwrecks, prohibit fishing of key species, and zone the sea to preserve habitat.
Read the complete story at The Boston Globe.