Using seafloor maps to improve management of the Gulf of Maine
Recognizing the importance of seafloor maps for management, the Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative (GOMMI) is working to map the entire Gulf. Endorsed by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, GOMMI is a partnership of government and nongovernment organizations in Canada and the United States. The initiative grew out of a mapping workshop in October 2001 that was sponsored by the Gulf of Maine Council and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
GOMMI is a multi-year project to secure funding and conduct a comprehensive mapping program of areas not already covered by multibeam surveys (above). The goal is to provide seafloor images, maps, and surveys that are fundamental for resource management, planning, and many commercial activities. For more information, visit the GOMMI Web site or email Susan.Snow-Cotter@state.ma.us.
1. An increasing need for seafloor mapping
2.
Only 15 percent of Gulf is adequately mapped
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New technology allows unprecedented mapping
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Introduction to applications
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Case study 1: Routing a fiber-optic cable
6. Case study 2: Assessing effects of a fishery closure
7. Case study 3: Improving management of a lobster fishery
8. Case study 4: Identifying low-impact sites for aquaculture
9. Case study 5: Reducing impacts & improving
efficiency of scallopers
10.
Mapping the future: Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative
Links: More information about seafloor mapping
Download a 4-page, printer-friendly PDF version of "Mapping the undersea landscape: Using seafloor maps to improve management of the Gulf of Maine."
To obtain printed copies of the publication, contact Susan Snow-Cotter.
This publication was produced by the Gulf of Maine Council's Science Translation Project.
Image credit: Base map courtesy United States Geological Survey - Woods Hole Field Center