A New Sea Floor Map in Maine

        A new sea floor map is being discussed. The past ten years we have carried on many exploratory surveys of the sea floor of the western Gulf of Maine. Recently we arranged information, along with other previously published data, using a geographic info system (GIS). This produced a series of maps of the sea floor of the inner continental shelf of the western Gulf of Maine. The info we collected for this map series were originally collected for a variety of research projects, contracts, and a graduate student theses.

(This geographic area of the Maine inner continental shelf map series. The boxed areas are available as individual.)

        A new sea floor map may change fishing industry regulations in Maine. A new study of the sea floor on George's Bank may drive fishery managers to dramatically re-evaluate the measures employed to manage the fishing industry there. A submerged plateau warmed by the Gulf Stream, George's Bank lies about 60 miles off Cape Cod. Its shallow waters, swept by nutrient currents, provide rich feeding grounds for a wide variety of marine life, making it one of the world's most beneficial marine ecosystems.

"This is superb work that's going to change the face of fishery management," said Dave Preble, chairman of New England Fishery Management Council's habitat committee. "I can't emphasize enough how important it is. This work will be the foundation of our ecosystem management plan, and it's finally going to get us out of this ridiculous single-species management that always seems to fail," he said. 

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/fishing/2010/10/new-sea-floor-map-may-change-fishing-industry-regulations-maine