DEMA has received notice that several locations are being considered for National Marine Sanctuary status, and the management plans for a number of existing National Marine Sanctuaries are undergoing revision.
DEMA strongly suggests that members of the diving industry review these Sanctuary designations and revisions and comment on them in the coming weeks. Generally speaking, DEMA supports the creation and expansion of National Marine Sanctuaries when science indicates the need for these sanctuaries and when diver access is not unnecessarily limited or prohibited.
The following locations are being considered for Sanctuary status or their management plans are undergoing revision or review:
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Comment deadline: January 21
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has published a draft management plan as part of management plan review at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, including a draft environmental assessment which evaluates the environmental impacts of the draft management plan and continued implementation of existing sanctuary regulations and activities. For more information, please visit https://stellwagen.noaa.gov/management/ and click on “Management Plan Revision”.
Comments can be provided via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter the docket number NOAA–NOS–2020-0003, click the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach comments.
St. George Unangan Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. Comment deadline: January 27
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is initiating a review of the St. George Unangan Heritage National Marine Sanctuary nomination, set to expire on January 27, 2022, after five years in the sanctuary nomination inventory. NOAA has not initiated a designation process for this site. The purpose of the five-year review is to determine if the nomination remains accurate and responsive to the 11 criteria on national significance and management considerations.
NOAA is now accepting public comments to gather new or updated information. The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will then determine if the St. George Unangan Heritage National Marine Sanctuary nomination will remain in the inventory for an additional five years.
For more information about the nomination or five-year review process, visit https://nominate.noaa.gov/5-year-review.html.
Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary. Comment deadline: January 31
NOAA is initiating the process to designate Papahānaumokuākea as a national marine sanctuary under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. There is a long history promoting this area as a national marine sanctuary, beginning with an Executive Order in 2000 by President William J. Clinton, followed by a proclamation in 2016 by President Barack H. Obama, and most recently a Senate Appropriations subcommittee statement in the Appropriations Act of 2021.
This designation process does not change the area’s designation as a Marine National Monument and would add the protections of a national marine sanctuary to the waters of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument via an additional layer of protection and permanency to safeguard resources in the marine portions of the monument. The process to designate a national marine sanctuary will be done in concert with the monument’s co-managing agencies and includes significant opportunities for public comment on the sanctuary’s goals, boundaries, and other topics.
For additional information, please visit the proposed sanctuary’s website at: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/papahanaumokuakea
Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. Comment deadline: January 31
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) added the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary nomination to the Sanctuary Inventory of Successful Nominations on October 5, 2015, and renewed the nomination for another five years on September 24, 2020 following a public comment period and internal review. NOAA’s proposed sanctuary designation is based on this nomination, excluding any geographical overlap with the proposed Morro Bay 399 Area for offshore wind development.
Designation of this site would provide for comprehensive landscape-scale conservation and management to help protect the site’s natural and cultural resources from increasing anthropogenic stressors: energy development, water pollution, vessel traffic, climate change, and others.
Public input is being accepted on this Notice of Intent through January 31 (extended from January 10), 2022.
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Comment deadline: February 24
NOAA is inviting public comment now through February 24, 2022 on a draft management plan for Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The public is also invited to comment on the accompanying draft environmental assessment.
The draft management plan, which will replace the current plan last updated in 2009, places new emphasis on understanding and addressing the effects of climate change, enhancing stakeholder and tribal engagement, and reducing impacts from marine debris and non-native species. The plan also includes continued support for protection of sanctuary resources through enforcement of existing sanctuary regulations, education and outreach strategies that promote ocean stewardship, and inclusive community engagement. No changes to sanctuary boundaries or regulations are proposed at this time. Additional information about the management plan revision process can be found online at: https://channelislands.noaa.gov/manage/plan/revision.html.
Comments can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal, www.regulations.gov. Use docket number NOAA-NOS-2019-0110.
