WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.480 -[Narrator] Sand is critical for protecting coastlines, 00:00:03.480 --> 00:00:05.240 providing habitat for animals and 00:00:05.240 --> 00:00:06.960 supporting ocean economies. 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:08.760 Storms can damage beaches and 00:00:08.760 --> 00:00:10.680 wash away large amounts of sand. 00:00:10.680 --> 00:00:11.640 When this happens, 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:13.160 coastal communities turn to the 00:00:13.160 --> 00:00:16.040 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, 00:00:16.040 --> 00:00:17.520 to help replace this sand 00:00:17.520 --> 00:00:20.000 through a process known as beach renourishment. 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:23.440 Beach renourishment typically uses  sand harvested from the seafloor 00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:25.040 on the outer continental shelf, 00:00:25.040 --> 00:00:26.840 an area managed by BOEM. 00:00:26.840 --> 00:00:28.920 Before authorizing this kind of activity, 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:30.760 BOEM conducts environmental studies 00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:33.040 to evaluate its potential impacts. 00:00:33.040 --> 00:00:34.680 Partnerships are an essential tool to 00:00:34.680 --> 00:00:36.640 carrying out these environmental studies 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:38.240 and one such partnership is with the 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:40.680 Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary 00:00:40.680 --> 00:00:42.440 off the coast of Massachusetts. 00:00:42.440 --> 00:00:45.000 Stellwagen is teeming with rich biodiversity, 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:46.480 an array of human activities, 00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:48.280 and a long history of ocean research 00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:50.560 with data sets that go back decades. 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:52.200 Though no actual sand harvesting 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:53.760 takes place in Stellwagen, 00:00:53.760 --> 00:00:55.840 it provides an ideal living laboratory 00:00:55.840 --> 00:00:57.760 for developing best practices. 00:00:57.760 --> 00:00:59.920 BOEM has partnered with the sanctuary to 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:01.920 study the impacts that sand harvesting 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:03.680 could have on seafloor ecology, 00:01:03.680 --> 00:01:04.720 and in particular 00:01:04.720 --> 00:01:07.600 a small but important fish called the sand lance. 00:01:07.600 --> 00:01:08.880 Sand lance are only about 00:01:08.880 --> 00:01:10.280 three to six inches long, 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:12.160 but they're a critical link in the food web 00:01:12.160 --> 00:01:14.240 between the tiny zooplankton they eat 00:01:14.240 --> 00:01:16.200 and the larger animals that prey on them. 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:18.560 These eel-like fish are a favorite food source of 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:21.600 Humpback whales, sharks seals, seabirds, 00:01:21.600 --> 00:01:23.320 and many other ocean predators. 00:01:23.320 --> 00:01:24.880 As their name suggests 00:01:24.880 --> 00:01:26.720 sand lance live near the seafloor and 00:01:26.720 --> 00:01:28.880 lay their eggs on the sandy surface. 00:01:28.880 --> 00:01:30.400 However, these fish don't just live 00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:31.680 on the bottom of the ocean, 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:32.920 they live in the bottom, 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:35.600 burrowing into the sand to hide from predators. 00:01:35.600 --> 00:01:37.360 This makes them particularly vulnerable 00:01:37.360 --> 00:01:38.600 to sand harvesting. 00:01:38.600 --> 00:01:41.000 Sand lance range overlaps with many areas 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:42.920 that rely on beach renourishment. 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:43.520 Furthermore, 00:01:43.520 --> 00:01:44.920 these fish prefer sand 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:46.280 that has the same grain size 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:48.920 as the sand commonly used for this purpose. 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:49.640 As a result, 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:51.960 harvesting activity could impact sand lance 00:01:51.960 --> 00:01:53.240 in multiple ways. 00:01:53.240 --> 00:01:54.920 It could disrupt spawning, 00:01:54.920 --> 00:01:56.200 destroy their eggs, 00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:57.400 harm their habitat, 00:01:57.400 --> 00:01:59.200 and even harm the fish themselves. 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:01.920 These impacts could potentially  affect the ocean predators 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:03.760 that feed on sand lance as well. 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:06.440 Initial studies showed that  sand lance populations have 00:02:06.440 --> 00:02:09.800 significant seasonal geographical fluctuations. 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:12.120 Understanding these  fluctuations will help managers 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:15.360 better plan where and when to harvest sand safely. 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:17.800 Additional studies will  focus on understanding when 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:19.720 and how sand lance reproduce, 00:02:19.720 --> 00:02:22.920 as well as how long disturbed  sand habitats take to recover. 00:02:22.920 --> 00:02:25.040 Teams of scientists are gathering data and 00:02:25.040 --> 00:02:27.160 building simulation models to uncover the 00:02:27.160 --> 00:02:29.200 complex dynamics of the ocean floor. 00:02:29.200 --> 00:02:32.480 Studies that could ultimately help  improve management strategies, 00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:34.920 that will in turn improve the ocean environment. 00:02:34.920 --> 00:02:37.120 The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:39.480 has a proud history of scientific excellence. 00:02:39.480 --> 00:02:42.440 Partnering with BOEM not only  continues this tradition, 00:02:42.440 --> 00:02:45.640 it also ensures that BOEM  has access to thorough and 00:02:45.640 --> 00:02:47.600 cost-effective scientific research, 00:02:47.600 --> 00:02:49.520 to help the government evaluate the potential 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:51.680 environmental impacts of sand harvesting 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:53.000 and other activities. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:55.360 Learning more about the sand lance will help BOEM 00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:57.640 make informed science-based decisions 00:02:57.640 --> 00:02:59.320 that benefit coastal communities and 00:02:59.320 --> 00:03:05.920 the ocean environment we all rely on.