Dear ALWTRT Member or Interested Party:
On May 18, 2003, a sighting of 3 right whales in the proximity of 42°
13' N latitude and 69° 37' W longitude, northeast of Cape Cod, MA,
resulted in the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries)
taking action under the Dynamic Area Management (DAM) program to provide
protection for this aggregation of North Atlantic right whales. NOAA
Fisheries announces that lobster trap/pot and anchored gillnet fishermen
are requested to remove their gear on a voluntary basis, and are
encouraged not to set additional gear, in an area totaling approximately
925 square nautical miles (nm2)(1,714 km2), northeast of Cape Cod, MA,
effective beginning at 0001 hours May 29, 2003, through 2400 hours June
13, 2003
The DAM zone is bound by the following coordinates:
42°33'N, 69°56'W (NW Corner)
42°33'N, 69°24'W
41°55'N, 69°24'W
41°55'N, 69°56'W
A permit holder letter regarding the voluntary restrictions in the DAM
zone is now posted on the Northeast Regional Office web page at
<http://www.nero.noaa.gov/ro/doc/0503dam.pdf> and will soon be posted on
the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP) web page
(http://www.nero.nmfs.gov/whaletrp/) under "What's New". NOAA Fisheries
will be notifying the public of the voluntary DAM zone by issuing radio
announcements, working through appropriate media, distributing the
permit holder letter to affected fishermen, as well as other means. As
an ALWTRT member or interested party, NOAA Fisheries appreciates your
assistance in spreading the word about the DAM zone and its voluntary
restrictions.
-- Diane Borggaard Large Whale Coordinator NOAA/NMFS/NERO Protected Resources Division 1 Blackburn Dr. Gloucester, MA 01930 Ph: 978-281-9328 ext. 6503 Fax: 978-281-9394 e-mail: diane.borggaard@noaa.gov
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