Boston — The Coast Guard wrapped up the two-day Buzzards Bay Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment Workshop Thursday at the Towneplace Suites Marriott in Wareham.
Participants convened in Wareham on February 7-8 for a structured workshop with facilitated sessions aimed to ensure the environmental protection and safe navigation of the Buzzards Bay waterway system.
A final report stating the risks on Buzzards Bay that were identified, as well as potential risk mitigation measures will be produced and made available to the public. The report will outline results from participant discussion, comments made during the workshop, and specific recommendations as to what mitigation strategies should be implemented. The final report will be posted here once complete.
“I really appreciate all the participants’ candid dialogue and time given to gather information to promote safe navigation and environmental protection of Buzzards Bay,” said Capt. Richard Schultz, commander, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England.
A longstanding and proven Coast Guard process for formal public study, a PAWSA is a joint effort involving waterway users, stakeholders, and agencies to focus on identifying major waterway safety hazards, estimating risk levels, and evaluating risk mitigation measures. The Coast Guard has sponsored and led more than 50 PAWSA studies nationwide since 1999.
The Coast Guard selected participants based on their waterway expertise and to create a broad cross-section of Buzzards Bay stakeholders.
More information about the PAWSA process and previously conducted workshops can be found here: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=pawsaMain
Participants were:
| Paul DiGiovanni | Reinauer Transportation |
| Gary Oliveira | McAllister Towing |
| Michael Power | Boston Tug and Towing |
| Sean Bogus | Northeast Marine Pilots |
| Mark Foley | Canal Pilots |
| Charles Gifford | Steamship Authority |
| Pat Welch | Seastreak Ferry |
| Neil Churchill | Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries |
| Christopher Bryant | Bryant Brothers Shellfish |
| Seth Garfield | Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farm |
| Richard Schultz | U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England |
| John MacPherson | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| Steven Mahohney | Massachusetts Dept of Environmental Protection |
| Steve McKenna | Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management |
| Isaac Perry | Marion Harbormaster |
| Robert Sweet | Recreational Boater |
| Phyllis Partridge | Beverly Yacht Club |
| Mark Rasmussen | Coalition for Buzzards Bay |
| Joe Costa | Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program |
| Elise DeCola | Nuka Research |
| Edward Anthes-Washburn | New Bedford Harbor Development Commission |
| Elizabeth Leidhold | Buzzards Bay Action Committee |
| Michael Gomes | Buzzards Bay Task Force |
| Marty McCabe | Massachusetts Pilot Commissioneer |
| Steven Lehmann | NOAA Scientific Support |
| David Vejar | NOAA Northeast Navigation |
| Patrick Morkis | Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis |
| Tom Pham | Massachusetts Maritime Academy |
