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A revision to the 1993 Management Plan regulating SBNMS is presently underway. The Draft Management Plan (DMP) was released to the public on May 6, 2008. The public commenting period ended on October 3, 2008.

History:

In mid 2004, a Maritime Heritage Resources Action Plan (AP) was approved and released, which makes recommendations that formed the basis of the revised management plan. The current incarnation of the DMP does not contain actual regulations, but instead transforms the approved 2004 Action Plans into a set of strategies that form the basis for creating actual regulations, and accompanying designation document changes.  In accepting the DMP in its current form, the public is essentially giving NOAA license to regulate activities in the Sanctuary unchecked by endorsing their strategies -- empowering NOAA to implement management practices and ultimately regulations under the guise that they were agreed to by the public when in fact they were not! It is our position that the DMP, derived from an Action Plan that we have rejected since 2004, does not address the needs of the dive community and does not afford appropriate access to shipwrecks in the bank. We object to any subsequent management plan that incorporates recommendations derived from the Action Plan.

Contained in this website are pages describing Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, some of the shipwrecks lying within its boundaries, as well as information on the development of the DMP that is prohibitive to recreational scuba diving and shipwreck exploration.

Here you can also find our response to the Draft Management Plan, Marine Heritage Resources Action Plan and news and updates on the status of our actions within the dive community, as the dive community seeks to submit public comments with the aim of revising the DMP to incorporate a more reasonable and practical approach to managing shipwreck diving activities. It is not our intent to create a divisive atmosphere, but instead to reach a reasonable compromise that permits and facilitates visitation of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the resources contained within it.