Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan Volume 2 Baseline Assessment and Science Framework December 2009 Introduction Volume 2 of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan focuses on the data and scientific aspects of the plan and its implementation. It includes these two separate documents: • Baseline Assessment of the Massachusetts Ocean Planning Area - 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. • Science Framework - This document provides a blueprint for ocean management- related science and research needs in Massachusetts, including priorities for the next five years. i Baseline Assessment of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Planning Area Acknowledgements The authors thank Emily Chambliss and Dan Sampson for their help in preparing Geographic Information System (GIS) data for presentation in the figures. We also thank Anne Donovan and Arden Miller, who helped with the editing and layout of this document. Special thanks go to Walter Barnhardt, Ed Bell, Michael Bothner, Erin Burke, Tay Evans, Deb Hadden, Dave Janik, Matt Liebman, Victor Mastone, Adrienne Pappal, Mark Rousseau, Tom Shields, Jan Smith, Page Valentine, John Weber, and Brad Wellock, who helped us write specific sections of this assessment. We are grateful to Wendy Leo, Peter Ralston, and Andrea Rex of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority for data and assistance writing the water quality subchapter. Robert Buchsbaum, Becky Harris, Simon Perkins, and Wayne Petersen from Massachusetts Audubon provided expert advice on the avifauna subchapter. Kevin Brander, David Burns, and Kathleen Keohane from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Robin Pearlman from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provided data for the wastewater subchapter. Lastly, we’d like to thank the Science Advisory Council members (Priscilla Brooks, Carlton Hunt, Scott Krauss, Jack Looney, Frank Muller-Karger, Bill Schwab, and David Terkla) for their input on the framing, writing, and editing of this document. Todd Callaghan Kathryn Ford Prassede Vella Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction ..................................................................................................... BA-1 Data Collection.................................................................................................................... BA-1 Geographic Focus .............................................................................................................. BA-2 Weather Conditions ............................................................................................................ BA-4 References .......................................................................................................................... BA-5 Chapter 2 - Water Column Features .............................................................................. BA-7 North of Cape Cod .............................................................................................................. BA-7 South of Cape Cod ............................................................................................................. BA-8 Upwelling, Fronts, and Waves ............................................................................................ BA-9 Riverine Inputs .................................................................................................................. BA-11 Sea Temperature .............................................................................................................. BA-11 Seasonal Changes ........................................................................................................... BA-12 Water Quality .................................................................................................................... BA-13 Biological Features ........................................................................................................... BA-20 References ........................................................................................................................ BA-21 Chapter 3 - Seabed Features .......................................................................................... BA-27 Geomorphology ................................................................................................................ BA-27 Sediment Transport .......................................................................................................... BA-28 Sediment Quality .............................................................................................................. BA-29 Biological Features ........................................................................................................... BA-30 References ........................................................................................................................ BA-31 Chapter 4 - Habitat ............................................................................................................ BA-35 Primary and Secondary Producers ................................................................................... BA-36 Benthic Communities ........................................................................................................ BA-39 Fisheries Resources, Shellfish, and Habitat ..................................................................... BA-41 Seafood Quality/Chemical Contaminants ......................................................................... BA-44 Avifauna ............................................................................................................................ BA-45 Marine Mammals and Reptiles ......................................................................................... BA-49 Invasives ........................................................................................................................... BA-52 Man-Made Habitat, Mitigation, and Restoration ............................................................... BA-55 References ........................................................................................................................ BA-57 Chapter 5 - Archeological and Cultural Sites ........................................................... BA-67 Native American Sites ...................................................................................................... BA-67 Shipwrecks and Other Historic Resources ....................................................................... BA-69 References ........................................................................................................................ BA-72 Chapter 6 - Human Uses .................................................................................................. BA-75 Commercial Fishing .......................................................................................................... BA-75 Aquaculture ....................................................................................................................... BA-76 Recreational Uses ............................................................................................................ BA-77 Chapter 6 - Human Uses (continued) Transportation ................................................................................................................... BA-82 Energy Generation ............................................................................................................ BA-93 Telecommunication and Power Cables ............................................................................ BA-98 Pipelines ......................................................................................................................... BA-100 Water, Stormwater, and Industrial Discharges ............................................................... BA-101 Military Training, Defense, and Law Enforcement .......................................................... BA-104 Ocean Disposal...............................................................................................................BA-105 Protected Areas .............................................................................................................. BA-107 Education and Research ................................................................................................BA-110 Aesthetics ....................................................................................................................... BA-111 Shoreline Protection and Floodplain Management ........................................................ BA-112 Extraction for Beach Nourishment ..................................................................................BA-113 References ......................................................................................................................BA-114 Chapter 7 - Economic Valuation ................................................................................. BA-119 Economic Impact of the Marine Economy in Massachusetts ......................................... BA-119 Employment .................................................................................................................... BA-120 Marine Transportation ..................................................................................................... BA-120 Coastal Tourism and Recreation ...................................................................................