Stellwagen

This book takes an in insider's look at the sanctuary that isn't. The Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary was founded in 1992 and is New England's only national marine sanctuary. Located at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay between Cape Cod and Cape Ann, the 842 square-mile area's nutrient-rich waters support all manner of sea life - which in turn supports recreational and commercial fisheries and a popular whale-watching industry. Peter Borrelli, who served on the sanctuary's federally appointed advisory council for more than ten years, provides a unique insider's view of the problems of managing a federally protected sanctuary that is under-funded and often of two minds about its mission. This is a sobering and well-considered examination of what happens when well-intentioned legislation meets the reality of trying to protect a delicate ecological system that remains under intense commercial and recreational use.