Governor Deval Patrick signed the Oceans Act on May 28, 2008 - requiring the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) to develop a comprehensive ocean management plan, with a draft plan by June 30, 2009, and a final plan promulgated by December 31, 2009. Links to the materials developed to support plan development are provided below. These documents include the draft Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan released on June 30, 2009, ocean planning work group reports, and Massachusetts Ocean Partnership-funded reports.
Draft Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan
This page provides links to the draft Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan, which was released on June 30, 2009. It includes links to Volumes 1 and 2 of the draft plan, complete with all figures, maps, and errata:
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.