[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 204 (Monday, October 24, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-26305]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: October 24, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
15 CFR Part 940
RIN 0648-AC94
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Regulations
AGENCY: Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM),
National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of effective date.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the effective date for the final rule
implementing the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, offshore of
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The final rule which was published
on October 19, 1993 could not become effective until a congressional
review period of 45 days of continuous session was completed.
EFFECTIVE DATE: The regulations at 15 CFR Part 940 published on October
19, 1993 (58 FR 53865) are effective March 20, 1994.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. R. Randall Schneider, Atlantic/Great Lakes Regional Manager,
Sanctuaries and Reserves Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource
Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, SSMC-4, Station 12158, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver
Spring, MD 20910 (301/713-3132).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 19, 1993, the Under Secretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere transmitted the Notice of Final Rule
and Summary of Final Management Plan for the Stellwagen Bank National
Marine Sanctuary to Congress. This action initiated a review period of
45 days of continuous congressional session. Under section 304(b) of
the National Marine Sanctuaries Program Amendments Act of 1992, the
regulations to implement the Sanctuary designation and regulate the
conduct of certain activities shall take effect and become final at the
conclusion of the 45-day review period. Thus, the regulations became
effective on March 20, 1994.
The Notice of Final Rule and Summary of Final Management Plan was
also published in the Federal Register on October 19, 1993 (58 FR
53865). On November 4, 1992, Public Law 102-587 was signed, which,
among other matters, provides for designation of the Stellwagen Bank
National Marine Sanctuary, as described therein. The designated
Sanctuary encompasses a total of approximately 638 square nautical
miles (approximately 2181 square kilometers) of ocean waters, and the
submerged lands thereunder, over and surrounding the submerged
Stellwagen Bank and additional submerged features, offshore of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Stellwagen Bank is a submerged, glacially-deposited primarily sandy
feature extending for approximately 20 miles in a southeast-to-
northwest direction, in the extreme southwestern Gulf of Maine, between
Cape Ann, Massachusetts and the northern end of Cape Cod,
Massachusetts, at the eastern edge of Massachusetts Bay. The
combination of physical and oceanographic characteristics over an
around the Bank result in two distinct peak productivity periods
annually. This productivity supports a large variety of benthic,
invertebrate and pelagic fishery resources, which have in turn
supported generations of fishermen. The Bank also provides important
feeding and nursery grounds for an extraordinary number of large and
small cetacean species. Accessibility of the Bank from land has
resulted in an extensive commercial whalewatch industry, attracting
more than 1.25 million visitors to the Bank annually. The combination
of productivity and accessibility also provides the base for high
levels of scientific interest in the Stellwagen Bank area.
Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.4229
Marine Sanctuary Program
Dated: October 18, 1994.
Frank W. Maloney,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone
Management.
[FR Doc. 94-26305 Filed 10-21-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-M
