DRAFT Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan
For Legislative Review and Public Comment
The Oceans Act of 2008 requires the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs to develop a comprehensive ocean management plan, following a scientific and stakeholder process that leads to a draft plan by June 30, 2009, and the final promulgation of the plan by December 31, 2009. This web page provides links to the draft plan, all maps and figures, and techical reports written to support plan development. For a printed copy of the draft plan, please email your request to czm@state.ma.us.
Public hearings on the draft plan will be held in September (see schedule below). To be notified of these hearings, send a blank email to join-env-oceanplan@listserv.state.ma.us. To provide comments on the draft plan in writing or online, see the Ocean Plan Public Input Portal comments page or send written comments to:
MA Office of Coastal Zone Management
RE: DRAFT Ocean Management Plan
251 Causeway Street, Suite 800
Boston, MA 02114
The public comment period on the draft plan is now open and will close at 5:00 pm on November 23. The public hearings on the draft plan are scheduled as follows (all will begin at 7:00 pm, except for the September 23 hearing which will begin at 6:00 pm):
Date | Location |
September 14 | Exchange Conference Center, Boston Fish Pier |
September 15 | New Bedford Public Library, Main Meeting Room 613 Pleasant Street, New Bedford |
September 16 | Tilden Arts Center Main Theater, Cape Cod Community College 2240 Iyannough Road, West Barnstable |
September 17 | Kyrouz Auditorium, Gloucester City Hall 9 Dale Avenue, Gloucester |
September 23 | Katharine Cornell Theater 51 Spring Street, Tisbury (Vineyard Haven) |
For background information and technical materials on the plan, see the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Massachusetts Ocean Plan website.
This web page includes links to:
- Draft Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan - Volume 1
- Draft Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan - Volume 2
- Technical Reports
(Many of the files below are large and may be viewed more quickly if saved to your local computer. To save any of these files, see Instructions for Downloading Large Files. )
Draft Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan - Volume 1
Full Version
- Full text (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Color figures/maps
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 97 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 42 MB)
Individual Chapters
- Cover and Front Material (PDF, 763 KB)
- Executive Summary (PDF, 95 KB)
- Chapter 1 - Introduction (PDF, 115 KB)
- Chapter 2 - Plan Context (PDF, 166 KB)
- Chapter 3 - Planning Process (PDF, 201 KB)
- Chapter 4 - Management (PDF, 191 KB)
- Chapter 5 - Plan Implementation and Evolution (PDF, 77 KB)
- Appendix 1 - Goals, Strategies, and Outcomes (PDF, 90 KB)
- Appendix 2 - Compatibility Assessment/Data Screening (PDF, 119 KB)
- Appendix 3 - The Oceans Act of 2008 (PDF, 93 KB)
- Appendix 4 - Data Used in Plan Development (PDF, 116 KB)
Individual Figures/Maps
- Figure 2-1 - Ocean Management Planning Area (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 2-2 - Jurisdictional Boundaries (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.5 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.4 MB)
- Figure 2-3 - Bathymetry (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 31 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 8.2 MB)
- Figure 2-4 - Bird Resource Areas (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.6 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Figure 2-5 - Fisheries Resources (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.1 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 2-6 - Shellfish and Crustacean Resources (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.2 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Figure 2-7a - Marine Mammals - Fin Whales (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.4 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Figure 2-7b - Marine Mammals - Humpback Whales (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.3 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 2-7c - Marine Mammals - North Atlantic Right Whales (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.2 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 2-8 - Seafloor Features and Habitats (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.5 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Figure 2-9 - Navigational Uses (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.3 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Figure 2-10 - Infrastructure (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 2-11 - Commercial Fisheries Activity (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 2-12 - Representative Qualitative Commercial Fishing Information (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.1 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 2-13 - Recreational Fishing Areas Classified as "High" Importance Based on Division of Marine Fisheries Survey (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 2-14 - Recreational Activity (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 3.5 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.7 MB)
- Figure 2-15 - Wind and Current Speeds on the Massachusetts Coast (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.3 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Figure 2-16 - Boating Access, Historic, and Submerged Shipwreck Sites within and Adjacent to the Planning Area (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 2-17 - Footprint of Human Uses (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Figure 3-1 - Translating the Oceans Act into an Ocean Management Plan - see page 3-3 of Volume 1
- Figure 3-2a - Ecological Valuation Index (EVI) (Quartiles) (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.7 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 3-2b - EVI (Binned by Guild, Quartiles) (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.7 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 3-2c - EVI (Binned by Guild and Broken into Intervals of 10) (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.7 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-1 - Management Areas (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-2 - Compatibility Assessment: Commercial Wind (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.4 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Figure 4-3 - Renewable Energy Areas, Including Adjacent Federal Waters (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Figure 4-4 - North Atlantic Right Whale Core Habitat (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-5 - Humpback Whale Important Habitat (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.8 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-6 - Fin Whale Important Habitat (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.1 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-7 - Roseate Tern Core Habitat (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-8 - Special Concern (Arctic, Least, and Common) Tern Core Habitat (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.0 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-9 - Long-tailed Duck Important Habitat (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Figure 4-10 - Leach's Storm Petrel Important Nesting Habitat (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.8 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Figure 4-11 - Colonial Waterbirds Important Nesting Habitat (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.8 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Figure 4-12 - Areas of Hard/Complex Bottom (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.8 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Figure 4-13 - Eelgrass (CWA 404 Special Aquatic Sites) (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-14 - Intertidal Flats (CWA 404 Special Aquatic Sites) (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-15 - Important Fish Resource Areas (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-16 - Areas of High Commercial Fishing by Effort and Value (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-17 - Areas of Concentrated Recreational Fishing (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.1 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-18 - Areas of Concentrated Commerce and Commercial Fishing Traffic (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-19 - Areas of Concentrated Recreational Boating Activity (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-20 - Community Wind (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 3.4 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Figure 4-21 - Commercial Tidal (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.8 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.4 MB)
- Figure 4-22 - Sand and Gravel (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 3.5 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Figure 4-23 - Cables (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 2.6 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- Figure 4-24 - Pipelines (HTML Preview)
- Full Size 11"x17" (PDF, 3.4 MB)
- Printer-Friendly 8.5"x11" (PDF, 1.5 MB)
Draft Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan - Volume 2
Full Version
- Full text (PDF, 3.1 MB)
- Color Figures
- High-Resolution (PDF, 143 MB)
- Low-Resolution (PDF, 5.9 MB)
Individual Sections
- Cover and Introduction (PDF, 438 KB)
- Development of an Ecological Valuation Index for the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan (PDF, 346 KB)) - This document describes the conceptual foundation, methodology, and data used in the Ecological Valuation Index.
- Ecological Valuation Index Color Figures - High-Resolution (PDF, 4 MB)
- Ecological Valuation Index Color Figures - Low-Resolution (PDF, 2.1 MB)
- Science Framework (PDF, 283 KB) - This document provides the details of the proposed framework for future scientific research and data acquisition, which is summarized in Volume 1, Chapter 5.
- Development of Evaluation Measures for the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan (PDF, 196 KB) - This document outlines a proposed approach and process to develop a set of indicators for use in evaluating the ocean management plan. It also includes a preliminary set of recommended indicators.
- Baseline Assessment of the Massachusetts Ocean Planning Area (PDF, 680 KB) - This Oceans Act-mandated product includes information cataloging the current state of knowledge regarding human uses, natural resources, and other ecosystem factors in Massachusetts ocean waters.
- Baseline Assessment Color Figures - High-Resolution (PDF, 139 MB)
- Baseline Assessment Color Figures - Low-Resolution (PDF, 3.7 MB)
Technical Reports Written to Support Plan Development
Ocean Planning Work Group Reports
Agency work groups prepared the following six reports, organized by topic area, which synthesized available data for the ocean planning area:
- Habitat (PDF, 3.7 MB)
- Fisheries (PDF, 1.7 MB)
- Transportation, navigation, and infrastructure (PDF, 1 MB)
- Sediment (PDF, 3.3 MB)
- Recreation and cultural services (WORD, 6.8 MB)
- Renewable energy (WORD, 1.7 MB)
Massachusetts Ocean Partnership-Funded Reports
In partnership with EEA, the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership funded the following reports to support the ocean planning effort:
- Planning Framework Options for the Massachusetts Ocean Plan (PDF, 1.2 MB) - A technical report prepared by the UMass Boston Planning Frameworks Team and the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership, which describes nine elements that are essential components of the framework for the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan and its implementation.
- Stakeholder Participation in Massachusetts Ocean Management Planning: Observations on the Plan Development Stage (PDF, 919 KB) - A technical report prepared by the Consensus Building Institute and the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership, which describes the outreach effort to the general public and ocean-use stakeholder groups over a 12-month period, from June 2008 through May 2009.
- Characterization of Community-Specific Spatial and Socio-Economic Linkages to Massachusetts Waters (PDF, 16 MB) - A technical report prepared by Industrial Economics, Incorporated, Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries, and the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership, which examines the areas of the state’s waters that are of particular importance to specific communities.
- Developing a Framework for Compensatory Mitigation Associated with Ocean Use Impacts on Commercial Fisheries (PDF, 546 KB) - A technical report prepared by Industrial Economics, Incorporated, and the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership, which discusses appropriate means of establishing fees for the mitigation of economic impacts on commercial fisheries.
- Science Tools to Implement Ecosystem Based Management in Massachusetts (PDF, 919 KB) - A technical report prepared by MRAG Americas, Incorporated, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, UMass Boston, and the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership, which provides a framework for implementing Ecosystem Based Management and suggests a range of science information tools and their appropriate application to the decision making process.
- Compatibility Determination: Considerations for Siting Coastal and Ocean Uses (PDF, 1.6 MB) - A technical report prepared by the UMass Boston Planning Frameworks Team and the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership, which provides a compatibility determination as a tool for considering the appropriate locations for activities, uses and facilities relative to one another.