Coastal Services Center

Place names such as "Destruction Island" and "Graveyard of the Giants" indicate just how treacherous the rocky shore off Washington State's Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary can be for mariners. Preventing shipping accidents that could have devastating impacts to the environment is a high priority for the sanctuary's managers.

"One of our major concerns is protecting the resources of the area against catastrophic oil spills," says George Galasso, assistant manager of the Olympic Coast sanctuary. "The challenge for sanctuary managers is how to responsibly mitigate for oil spills while not impeding commerce."

This challenge is particularly important for Olympic Coast because one of the busiest maritime intersections on the West Coast-the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca-is in the sanctuary.

In June 1995, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) designated an Area to be Avoided (ATBA) in the sanctuary to help protect the area's natural resources. The voluntary measure asks operators of vessels carrying petroleum and hazardous materials to maintain a 25-mile buffer from the coast. The sanctuary then implemented an aggressive education and monitoring program that Galasso believes has contributed to the mariners' estimated 90 to 95 percent compliance rate.

"The ATBA does not include the entire sanctuary," Galasso explains. "Every single vessel that comes in and out of Puget Sound comes into the sanctuary. The reason for the ATBA is that it moves the vessels offshore so there is more time to respond to a disabled vessel, or to prepare an oil spill response."

Once the ATBA was established, Galasso says it was the job of sanctuary staff to educate mariners about the buffer and to develop a monitoring plan. "When it was first established, we heard from folks that even though it was voluntary we could expect a very high compliance rate from the maritime community. We wanted to test that assertion with a monitoring program."

Information on the ATBA was placed on nautical charts and publications, and sanctuary staff worked closely with industry and government agencies to develop an education strategy. This effort resulted in the creation of a flyer that was distributed by state agencies, maritime organizations, and the Canadian and U.S. Coast Guards.

The monitoring program uses Canadian Coast Guard radar data to summarize vessel traffic within the sanctuary, Galasso says. "We have developed some tools to convert the data into ArcView® coverages that identify the vessels by classification and name, and in what part of the sanctuary they are transiting. This gives us a means for monitoring compliance and the level of vessel traffic." A "friendly reminder" is sent to vessels if there is a question about their crossing the area.

Last year, the sanctuary used the monitoring data to look at which ships would pose the greatest risk for future oil spills, Galasso says. The U.S. Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are using this information as part of their rationale for recommending the IMO change the sanctuary's ATBA. The changes include increasing the area to provide a greater buffer around navigational hazards, and applying it to ships larger than 1,600 gross tons, which carry large amounts of fuel. The IMO will review the request this summer.

"When it comes right down to it," Galasso says, "marine safety and environmental safety aren't at odds with each other. If you keep vessels from having an accident, that's something the marine industry can support. The key is having some method of evaluating the program and getting feedback to folks. I think that's what has made this a success."

For more information about the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary's Area to be Avoided education and monitoring program, point your browser to www.ocnms.nos.noaa.gov. You may also contact George Galasso at (360) 457-6622, ext. 26, or George.Galasso@noaa.gov.