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Bay Management

http://maine.gov/dmr/baystudy/baystudy.htm

Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System

The Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS) is a not for profit corporation providing up-to-date information on ocean and weather conditions of the Gulf of Maine. Hourly data on wind, waves, water temperature, ocean currents and more are collected from a system of 10 buoys and displayed on the Internet at www.gomoos.org. Other data available include surface current information from four land-based radar installations, sea surface temperature, wind and ocean color information from satellites and forecasts of waves and ocean conditions from models.

This information can be used by mariners to make daily decisions affecting their safety at sea, by managers seeking information to make decisions about marine resources; educators looking for real-life data to use in their classrooms and others. The possibilities are virtually limitless. While similar observing systems are planned in the US and in Europe, GoMOOS is the first system of its kind whose design was driven by the user’s perspective.

The Maine Coastal Program/State Planning Office provided staff assistance for the initiation of GoMOOS and continues to participate on its Board of Directors. The US Office of Naval Research has been the primary funder of GoMOOS to date.

GoMOOS is structured as a membership organization to ensure that the system is responsive to the users in the Gulf of Maine, and to provide a revenue for the system through fees paid by members. For further information about GoMOOS and to send your ideas about the potential or actual uses of ocean data send e-mail to info@gomoos.org.

Marine Habitat Mapping

Increasing concern over the status of fish habitat has prompted efforts to identify areas of critical importance to depleted species. At the same time, ecologists are attempting to improve their understanding of habitat requirements for other members of the marine community and to break new ground with new management programs based on ecosystems, vs. traditional single species management approaches. Only by answering fundamental habitat questions can we begin to understand how vulnerable or resilient the marine community is to human activities. Studies of several bays in Maine in recent years present an excellent opportunity to look at marine habitat protection in nearshore ecosystems.

To date, relatively little effort had been made to document the habitat relationships of early-life stage fishes in Maine’s nearshore environments. In a step to support better ecosystem management approaches, the Maine Coastal Program provided the Maine Department of Marine Resources with funds to develop a method to identify associations between juvenile fishes and the habitat they use. The study integrated the use of traditional (e.g. fish sampling through trawl surveys) and more technologically advanced research tools (e.g. acoustic seabed classification systems, and geographic information systems.) The study generated new information about Maine’s nearshore habitats in Penobscot Bay, Saco Bay and in the Sheepscot River and allowed DMR to refine and improve its use of new technology.

For more information about this report, contact John Sowles (John.Sowles@maine.gov) at the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

Penobscot Bay Marine Resources Collaborative

In a much larger project, administerd by the Island Institute, the Maine Coastal Program partnered with numerous other organizations in the Penobscot Bay Marine Resources Collaborative, a five year effort to collect and integrate oceanographic, ecological and fisheries data and to apply the data to Bay management. Other organizations involved in the project include: Maine Office of GIS (MEGIS), Institute, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Maine State Planning Office/ME NOAA/NESDIS, U.S. Geological Survey, University of Maine, Bigelow Laboratory, and Maine Maritime Academy. The project, scheduled to be completed in May of 2002, achieved the following results:

  • demonstrated the use of remote sensing in coastal management
  • developed a model to predict recruitment of lobsters in the Bay
  • developed a publicly accessible database about the physical and biological characteristics of Penobscot Bay
  • demonstrated a multidisciplinary approach to resolution of marine resource management issues
  • provided the impetus for the creation of the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System
  • assisted state agencies in developing capacity to use new technology

Data from the Collaborative are currently available from the Maine Office of GIS http://apollo.ogis.maine.gov/projects/penobay/data.asp

The Pen Bay Marine Resources Collaborative was funded by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite and Data Information Service http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/

Order your copy of “Using Remote Sensing to Address Coastal Management Issues; The Maine Project” by contacting Lorraine.Lessard@maine.gov. The CD includes a case study of the Penobscot Bay Resources Collaborative project.

For more information about marine habitat research and management in Cobscook Bay, go to Cobscook Bay Resource Center http://www.cobscook.org

The Nature Conservancy--Maine Chapter http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/maine/

Symposium on Effects of Fishing Activities on Benthic Habitats: Linking Geology, Biology, Socioeconomics, and Management http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/bh2002/