The Science & Technology Journal of the Minerals Management SErvice

Volume 5 Issue 3

MMS

july/august/september 2008

SCIENCE

Alternative 

Energy and 

Alternate 

Uses: Leases 

and Proposed 

Regulations

North Pacific 

Right Whale

North Aleutian 

Basin Scoping 

Meetings

Oceanographic 

Study of 

Bristol Bay

Preserving and 

Respecting 

U.S. Maritime 

History in the 

Atlantic 

Biotechnology 

and Marine 

Organisms 

on Southern 

California 

Offshore 

Platforms
 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Volume 5 Issue 3

mms OCEAN SCIENCE is published 

quarterly by the Minerals Management 

Service to communicate recent ocean 

science and technological information 

and issues of interest related to offshore 

energy recovery, ocean stewardship, 

and mineral revenues.

Please address all questions, comments, 

suggestions, and changes of address to:

Dr. Deborah Epperson

mms OCEAN SCIENCE Editor

Minerals Management Service

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard 

New Orleans, LA 70123

deborah.epperson@mms.gov

(504) 736-3257

3 New MMS Organization 

Office of Offshore Alternative Energy Programs

4 Alternative Energy and Alternate Uses 

Leases and Proposed Regulations

6 Technology Assessment and 

Research (TAR) Program Addresses 

New Challenges

7 North Pacific Right Whale

8 North Aleutian Basin 

Scoping Meetings

9 Oceanographic Study of Bristol Bay

10 Senior Marine Archaeologist 

Dave Ball

11 Preserving and Respecting U.S. Maritime History in the Atlantic

13 Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 207

13 Updated Whales and Dolphins Poster

14 Biotechnology and Marine Organisms 

on Southern California 

Offshore Platforms

16 New Waves

Late-Breaking News & Information

ABOUT THE COVER

Top Left: North Pacific right whale. Credit: 

Brenda Rone, NOAA. 

Top Right: U-701, showing forward deck gun, 

ammunition pot, and saddle tank. Credit: 

Battle of the Atlantic Expedition 2008.

Middle Right: Secretary of the Interior Dirk 

Kempthorne and Gulf of Mexico Regional 

Director Lars Herbst greet MMS employees 

before Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 207.

Main Photo: Jack-up boat and crane barge 

preparing to decommission a platform.

Back Page: Background platform image by 

Gregory S. Boland.

All photos courtesy of Minerals Management Service 

unless otherwise noted.

Publication services provided by Schatz Publishing Group

 The Science & Technology Journal of the Minerals Management SErvice

For more information about the Minerals Management Service, 

check out our Website: 

www.mms.gov 

Subscribe 

To receive mms OCEAN SCIENCE, sign up at 

www.gomr.mms.gov, then click on e-mail subscriptions on the 

left-hand column, check the box marked Environmental Studies or 

e-mail deborah.epperson@mms.gov or call (504) 736-3257

JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008 Volume 5 Issue 3

MMS

SCIENCE

JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008 3

The Minerals 

 Management 

 Service (MMS) is 

responsible not only for managing 

the Nation’s oil, natural gas, and 

mineral resources in Federal waters 

(about 1.76 billion acres of submerged lands) but also for regulating alternative energy development 

on the Outer Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS), according to Section 

388 of the Energy Policy Act of 

2005. Alternative energy includes, 

but is not limited to wind, wave, 

solar, underwater current, and 

the generation of hydrogen.

The MMS has formed the Office 

of Offshore Alternative Energy 

Programs (OAEP) to meet new 

statutory requirements and to respond 

to this program’s unique needs.

The OAEP will develop and 

implement policy, analysis, and 

overall management of the OCS 

alternative energy leasing and 

operations program, and ensure 

compliance with departmental 

goals. The MMS may also issue 

leases, easements, and rights-of-way 

for OCS project activities that 

make “alternate use” of existing 

OCS facilities. These “energyrelated purposes or for other 

authorized marine-related 

purposes” include offshore 

aquaculture, research, education, 

recreation, and support for offshore 

operations and facilities. 

The MMS is developing 

proposed regulations to encourage 

safe and environmentally responsible 

development of resources and 

alternate use of facilities on 

the OCS.

This new arena presents many 

challenges because, in the U.S., 

most of the systems are still in 

the prototype-testing phases. The 

Technology Assessment and Research 

Program, the research element of 

MMS’s regulatory program, plays a 

major role in meeting these challenges.

As its responsibilities increase, 

MMS continues to sponsor cutting-edge 

research into methods and tools to protect environmental and cultural resources. These responsibilities are inherent 

in pioneering new ways to narrow the 

gap between the amount of energy our 

Nation uses and the amount of energy 

produced from OCS sources.

Photo of a wind turbine. Stock photo courtesy of Schatz Publishing.

New MMS Organization:

Office of Offshore 

Alternative

Energy Programs

For more information

MMS Office of Offshore Alternative Energy Programs

www.mms.gov/offshore/AlternativeEnergy/index.htm 

MMS Fiscal Years 2009–2011 Studies Development Plan: Alternative Energy 

www.mms.gov/offshore/AlternativeEnergy/Assets/PDFs/AE_SDP_2009_2011_FINAL.pdf 
mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Alternative Energy and Alternate Uses

Leases and

Proposed Regulations

To help meet America’s 

needs for newer and 

cleaner sources of energy, 

the Minerals Management Service 

(MMS) is continuing to make 

progress in regulating alternative 

energy development on the Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS). The 

OCS has the potential of providing 

massive amounts of clean, renewable 

energy derived from wind, wave, 

ocean current, solar, and hydrogen 

production. As offshore technology 

continues to mature and as our 

Nation’s energy needs continue 

to grow, the OCS will become an 

important component in a diversified 

portfolio of renewable energy.

In an effort to be more 

responsive to stakeholders and 

industry, MMS announced an 

Interim Policy in November 2007 

to “jumpstart” the activities of the 

Alternative Energy Program. The 

Interim Policy allows developers 

to gather basic resource data and 

perform technology testing activities 

through the issuance of limited 

leases. The limited leases are issued 

for only 5 years and will not 

allow for commercial generation of 

electricity nor convey future 

rights for commercial development. 

The MMS believes that limited 

leases are an important component 

of the Alternative Energy Program 

because they give developers an 

opportunity to collect data and test 

technology while MMS completes 

its rulemaking process. The Interim 

Policy will effectively end once final 

rules are in place, and developers can 

then seek rights to full commercial 

development through the regulatory 

process.

In response to the Interim 

Policy, MMS has received over 45 

nominations identifying areas for 

limited leasing off the east and west 

coasts. The MMS reviewed these 

nominations and identified 16 areas 

for priority consideration. In April 

2008, MMS published the priority 

areas in the Federal Register and, as 

required by the Energy Policy Act 

of 2005, asked the public to identify 

competitive interest in those areas. 

The public notice also provided an 

opportunity for MMS to collect 

public comments and relevant 

environmental information about the 

identified areas.

The MMS received no 

competing nominations for proposed 

lease areas off the Mid-Atlantic. 

As a result, MMS will be moving 

forward with a noncompetitive 

lease process for 10 areas: 6 off 

New Jersey, 1 off Delaware, and 

3 off Georgia (all for wind power 

resource assessment).

Three of the four proposed 

project areas off the southeast coast 

of Florida (all for ocean current 

technology testing and resource 

data collection) received competing 

nominations. However, after further 

discussions between the parties, 

at least one of the competing 

companies in each of those areas is 

relinquishing its nomination, thus 

allowing MMS to move forward with 

the noncompetitive leasing process 

Wave power, an alternative energy source. Photo courtesy of the National Renewable 

Energy Laboratory.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008

for all four of the proposed lease 

areas off southeast Florida.

Two proposed lease areas are 

off the coast of California: one off 

Mendocino County and the other 

off Humboldt County (both for 

wave energy technology testing and 

resource data collection). The MMS 

received no competing nominations 

in the Mendocino area but did 

receive a competing nomination 

for the Humboldt County proposed 

lease area. The MMS is investigating 

whether the competing companies 

for the Humboldt lease area are 

interested in collaborating under 

a single lease. The MMS also 

received numerous comments about 

potential space-use conflicts and 

environmental issues for both of 

these locations and will work closely 

with stakeholders as the leasing 

process proceeds.

For more information

MMS Alternative Energy Programs

www.mms.gov/offshore/AlternativeEnergy/index.htm 

MMS Alternative Energy Regulatory Development and Policy

www.mms.gov/offshore/AlternativeEnergy/RegulatoryInformation.htm 

Global Wave Energy Resource Distribution. “Wave and Tidal Energy: What’s Happening?” 

study by Robert Thresher. Photo courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Wave energy conversion device, OPT 

PowerBuoy, point absorber. From “Wave and 

Tidal Energy: What’s Happening?” study 

by Robert Thresher. Photo courtesy of the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

On July 9, 2008, MMS 

published a draft proposed rule, 

“Alternative Energy and Alternate 

Use of Existing Facilities on the 

Outer Continental Shelf.” The 

rule will set forth a comprehensive 

regulatory framework for alternative 

energy development and production 

activities on the OCS, as well 

as the alternate uses of facilities 

already existing on the OCS. The 

public comment period on the 

proposed rule ended September 8, 

2008, and the final rule is expected 

to be completed by the end of 

the year.

Offshore wind farm. Photo courtesy of DONG Energy.
mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

For more information

MMS Technology Assessment and Research (TAR) Program

www.mms.gov/tarphome/index.htm

National Oil Spill Response Test Tank Facility, Ohmsett, 

New Jersey

www.ohmsett.com/index.html 

TAR projects

www.mms.gov/tarphome/

With new offshore energy 

production in our 

Nation’s future and the 

challenges of energy production in 

new environments, the Minerals 

Management Service (MMS) 

continues to fund research on 

innovations and technologies that 

improve equipment functioning and 

help protect human safety and the 

ocean environment. 

The Technology Assessment 

and Research (TAR) Program, the 

research element of the MMS’s regulatory program, was established to 

ensure that industry operations on 

the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

use the best available and safest technologies. The program’s objectives 

are to promote new technology and 

safety by funding collective research 

with industry, academia, and other 

government agencies, and disseminate findings through public forums. 

The TAR Program has two 

components. The Operational Safety 

and Engineering Research (OSER) 

program addresses technological 

issues associated with the spectrum 

of operations, from the drilling of 

exploration wells to the removal 

and decommissioning of platforms 

and related facilities. The Oil 

Spill Response Research (OSRR) 

program’s activities cover a wide 

range of oil-spill response issues 

to improve the knowledge and 

technologies used for the detection, 

containment, and cleanup of oil spills 

that may take place on the OCS. 

The OSER program is 

expanding to address technological 

issues of alternative energy projects 

and alternate uses of existing oil 

and gas facilities on the OCS. 

Alternative energy and alternate uses 

are challenging because, in the U.S., 

most of the systems are still in the 

prototype-testing phases.

The TAR Program has a wellestablished process to identify, 

fund, and administer research and 

development projects that deal with 

OSER and OSRR issues. Research 

teams identify research topics to 

be addressed in the upcoming 

fiscal year. Topics can be a critical 

operation problem, undesirable 

condition, incident, new technology 

risk, safety alert, old rule, or 

catastrophic nature event. Each topic 

has an identifiable obstacle that 

needs to be addressed, investigated, 

revised, or solved. Topics with the 

highest rankings and urgency are 

chosen to meet research needs and 

are included in the selection process 

for future funding. Almost all TAR 

projects are selected through a 

competitive bidding process. 

In July 2008, the TAR Program 

called for papers on specific research 

topics. The OSER topics include 

the study of wind farm/turbine 

accidents; design standards to 

ensure structural safety/reliability/

survivability of OCS wind farms; 

flexible flowlines; risk analysis 

of drilling subsea wells with dual 

gradient mud in wellbore and 

risers (compared with conventional 

drilling); and in-line inspection of 

low-pressure, low-volume, in-service 

gas pipelines to detect wall loss. 

The OSRR topics include technologies to advance Arctic mechanical oil-spill response; identifying 

opportunity windows for the effective use of chemical dispersants on 

OCS crude oils; Ohmsett testing of 

technologies to detect, locate, recover 

submerged and sunken oil; methods to improve in situ burn residue 

cleanup; equipment to less destructively access marsh environments; 

and Ohmsett testing of wave energy 

technologies. The MMS will begin 

funding research projects to address 

these technological issues in the first 

quarter of Fiscal Year 2009.

Technology Assessment and Research (TAR) 

Program Addresses New Challenges

Remote-sensing experiments to detect oil in and under ice, conducted at Svea, Norway.
­The North Pacific right 

whale (Eubalaena 

japonica) is one of the 

rarest stocks of baleen 

(filter-feeding) whales 

in the world. Because it is listed as 

endangered under the Endangered 

Species Act and as depleted by the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act, the 

North Pacific right whale has high 

priority for recovery efforts.

These large whales inhabit the 

Pacific Ocean, particularly between 

20° and 60°N latitude. Before heavy 

exploitation by commercial whalers, 

concentrations were found in the Gulf 

of Alaska, eastern Aleutian Islands, 

south-central Bering Sea, Sea of 

Okhotsk, and Sea of Japan. 

Right whales’ distinguishing features include a stocky body, generally 

black coloration, no dorsal fin, large 

head (about 1/4 of the body length), strongly bowed 

lower lip, and callosities (raised patches of roughened skin) 

on the head. Adults are about 50-60 feet (15-18 meters) 

long and can weigh more than 70 tons (140,000 pounds). 

They are slow-swimming and sometimes congregate in 

coastal waters.

Right whales were first protected by the 1931 

Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. However, 

neither Japan nor the Soviet Union signed this 

agreement. The North Pacific population was devastated 

by extensive illegal Soviet 

catches in the 1960’s. 

During 1965-1999 there 

were 82 sightings in the 

entire eastern North Pacific; 

most were in the Bering Sea 

and adjacent areas of the 

Aleutian Islands. 

There are no reliable estimates of the current 

abundance of North Pacific right whales, but the eastern 

population is widely regarded as being well below a 

hundred animals. Over the past 40 years, most sightings 

in the eastern North Pacific have 

been of single whales. In the last few 

years, small groups of right whales 

have been sighted, but there were no 

confirmed sightings of calves in the 

20th century, and only a few in recent 

years. In 2006, the National Marine 

Fisheries Service designated two 

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008

areas as North Pacific 

right whale critical habitat: 

one in the Gulf of Alaska and one 

in the Bering Sea.

NOAA and MMS

Research Program

The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) and the National 

Marine Mammal Laboratory of the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA) place great 

importance on the protection of this 

species. In the summer of 2008, they 

launched a collaborative research 

program to study these whales in the 

Bering Sea, north of Alaska’s 

Aleutian Islands. 

The 2008 portion of the study 

began on July 22nd. Aerial surveys 

flew out of Sand Point, Alaska, when not grounded 

by bad weather or volcanic activity. The aerial survey 

located six right whales in Bristol Bay. The cruise portion 

of the survey began on August 2nd.

The three-year, $5 million research program will 

use advanced equipment, successful in previous studies 

of North Atlantic right whales, to gather data about the 

whales’ seasonal distribution, abundance, and habitat use. 

The final report is due in September 2010. Analyzed data 

will help MMS make informed decisions about potential 

oil and gas leases in the area and to minimize and mitigate 

impacts to the habitat and species residing there.

An oil and gas lease 

sale in the southern Bering 

Sea will not be held until 

2011. This will allow time 

for data collection and 

analysis and a thorough 

environmental assessment 

of marine organisms living 

in the area that could 

be adversely affected by 

offshore operations. 

One of 

the biggest 

threats 

to whales is 

entanglement 

in fishing gear.

For more information

MMS Alaska Region, Protected Species Studies

www.mms.gov/alaska/ess/ongoing_studies/protected_species/pro_species.HTM

NOAA’s National Marine Mammal Laboratory, 

facts about right whales

www.fakr.noaa.gov/protectedresources/whales/nright/ 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Cetacea

Suborder: Mysticeti

Family: Balaenidae

Genus: Eubalaena

Species: japonica

North Pacific right whale. Photo 

courtesy of Brenda Rone, NOAA.

north pacific right whale
From 1973 

through 2007, 

MMS has 

funded $300 

million in 

environmental 

studies related 

to Alaskan 

waters.

 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

North Aleutian Basin

Scoping MeetingS

For more information

Map of North Aleutian Basin Planning Area

www.mms.gov/alaska/cproject/NAB214/NAB214_map.pdf

Proceedings of the North Aleutian Basin Information 

Status and Research Planning Meeting

www.mms.gov/alaska/reports/2007rpts/2007_031/2007_031a.pdf

The Minerals Management Service 

(MMS) held scoping meetings in 

August and September 2008 at seven 

locations in the Bristol Bay area. The 

MMS staff gathered information and 

answered questions from interested parties about a 

proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease sale 

in the North Aleutian Basin planning area. Public 

participation helps focus issues to be considered for 

evaluation in the draft environmental impact statement 

(EIS) that is expected to be available in 2010.

The North Aleutian Basin planning area includes 

most of the southeastern part of the Bering Sea OCS, 

including all of Bristol Bay. 

The Basin is about 100 miles 

(161 kilometers) wide and 

400 miles (694 kilometers) in 

length, and reached depths of 

20,000 feet (6,096 meters).

The offshore area of the 

North Aleutian Basin is considered to have important 

hydrocarbon reserves, especially natural gas. The area 

is also important habitat for many species and globally 

significant habitat for birds and marine mammals, 

including a number of federally listed species.

Studies about environmental, socioeconomic, 

and other topics contribute to evaluation of the 

potential effects of specific lease actions, exploration 

activities, and development and production plans.

The MMS carries out or funds ongoing research 

for just these reasons. For instance, in 2006, MMS 

sponsored the North Aleutian Basin Information 

Status and Research Planning Meeting and has 

since published a report of the proceedings. In 

2007, with the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, 

MMS began work with Rutgers University on 

adapting an ice-ocean circulation modeling study.

Also, MMS is collaborating with the National 

Marine Mammal Laboratory of the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration to study the 

endangered North Pacific right 

whale in the 

Bering Sea. Upcoming studies will examine salmon 

life cycles, the red king crab, juvenile fish, and 

seabirds and waterfowl.

The Draft EIS for Lease Sale 214 will be available 

in 2010. Lease Sale 214 is scheduled for late 2011, 

under the Final 2007-2012 Oil and Gas Leasing 

Program.

Current data and information are crucial so that 

MMS can make sound decisions that help protect 

the ocean environment and secure the Nation’s 

domestic energy supply.

Bering 

Sea

Aleutian 

Basin
Each 

year 

since 2000, 

MMS’s Alaska 

Region has 

funded over 

$45 million for 

between 30 and 40 

new and ongoing active 

environmental studies. 

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008 

I

n preparation for a potential lease sale in the 

 North Aleutian Basin, the Minerals 

 Management Service (MMS) is gathering 

 information that will prepare for production 

 operations in the area and also contribute to 

protecting the marine habitat and its resident species. 

In addition to collaborating with the National 

Marine Mammal Laboratory on a three-year study of 

the North Pacific right whale, the MMS has 

contracted with Rutgers University to modify an iceocean circulation model for specific oceanographic 

conditions of Alaska’s Bristol Bay. Other study 

efforts of the area are scheduled for 2009.

The new study will be based on the Regional Ocean 

Modeling System, which has a significant peer-reviewed 

record of use in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea.

“Understanding the circulation within 

Bristol Bay will be important for us as we 

evaluate a possible oil and gas lease sale in the 

offshore waters of the North Aleutian Basin,” 

said MMS Regional Director John Goll.

The North Aleutian Basin is considered to have 

important hydrocarbon reserves, especially natural 

gas. It is also home to a variety of birds and marine 

mammals, including a number of federally listed 

species, such as the North Pacific right whale.

Rutgers will provide model results (wind, 

ice, and surface water speed and direction and 

extent of ice cover) as a 1986-2006 hindcast 

simulation and will document the study results 

through a model manual, final report, and 

in a peer-reviewed journal publication.

oceanographic study 

of bristol bay

Bristol 

Bay

For more information

Literature and Information Related 

to the Natural Resources of the 

North Aleutian Basin of Alaska 

(OCS Study MMS 2007-066)

www.mms.gov/alaska/reports/2007rpts/2007_066.pdf

Alaska

North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica). Photo courtesy of 

John Durban, NOAA.

 
10 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

senior marine archaeologist Dave Ball

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) 

manages the mineral resources on 1.76 billion 

acres of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

with the talents and expertise of a number of people. 

Our focus in this issue is on Dave Ball, Senior Marine 

Archaeologist in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region.

OS: What led you to become a marine 

archaeologist? 

DB: It’s the sense of discovery involved in seeing things 

that no one has seen for, in some cases, centuries, and 

then learning the story about the site, and sharing it with 

others. Plus, I figured since I’d have to work for at least 

20 or 30 years, I might as well do something I enjoy.

OS: What is it that you do for MMS? 

DB: Under the National Historic Preservation Act, 

MMS is required to take into account potential impacts 

to archaeological resources that may occur through 

any activities that the Agency funds or permits. I help 

ensure that these unique, nonrenewable resources 

are not impacted, while at the same time not being 

unnecessarily restrictive on industry. 

So, a lot of my work takes place in front of a computer, 

but as senior marine archaeologist and Diving Safety 

Officer, I occasionally have an opportunity to participate 

in field projects. 

Through the Environmental Studies Program, I’ve 

worked closely with colleagues and contractors on a 

variety of studies. Right now I’m responsible for two 

studies, one assessing the impacts of recent hurricane 

activity in the Gulf of Mexico on historic shipwrecks; 

and one to groundtruth submerged paleo-landforms that 

could be associated with early human occupation sites.

As Diving Safety Officer, I’m responsible for a team 

of divers that supports the Environmental Studies 

Program and also monitors industry compliance with 

environmental mitigations. Currently, the team is made 

up of archaeologists, biologists, and geologists.

OS: And how do you find shipwrecks and 

other sites?

DB: Most of the sites we’ve identified at MMS were 

discovered through industry surveys that are required 

as part of the permitting process. For example, a sonar 

target identified during surveys for the Mardi Gras line 

in 4,000 feet of water turned out to be the remains of 

a vessel that had been lost sometime between 1810 and 

1820. It’s great to be able to share the history of that 

time. A 3-week excavation was conducted last year, 

and the artifacts will soon be transferred to the State of 

Louisiana for exhibit. 

OS: What are some of the projects you’ve 

worked on, other than the Mardi Gras 

shipwreck?

DB: I’ve worked on a range of projects since joining 

MMS in 1999: early 19th-century sailing vessels, mid19th-century steamships, German submarines, and 

allied losses from World War II. Of course, I’ve also 

investigated many, many barges in the Gulf, as well.

OS: What do you find most rewarding, and 

what are the biggest challenges you face?

DB: I think that sharing the history of these sites is 

exciting, educating people and especially kids about 

history in the Gulf that they might not know about. 

Telling the stories—the Gulf Coast has a fascinating 

history. One of the oldest sites I’ve worked on was 

La Salle’s flagship from 1686, la Belle, in Matagorda 

Bay, Texas; the artifacts were in very good condition. 

Right now the University of Florida is working on the 

Tristan de Luna fleet, off Pensacola, from 1554. That’s 

pretty exciting.

The biggest challenge is protecting these resources. 

There’s a lot of looting and destruction that goes on that 

we don’t always witness. It’s sad because, in the case of 

the German U-boats, these are war graves, owned by the 

German government. Teaching people to honor the past 

while preparing for the future is a big part of what our 

work is about.

Archaeologist Dave Ball documenting conning tower of U-701. 

Photo courtesy of Battle of the Atlantic Expedition 2008. 

For more information

Mardi Gras Shipwreck

http://www.flpublicarchaeology.org/mardigras/
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008 11

The ocean holds 

an abundance of 

resources, from oil 

and gas resources 

to complex 

underwater 

communities. 

It is also home to U.S. maritime 

history, resting on the ocean floor. 

The Minerals Management Service 

(MMS), in compliance with the 

National Historic Preservation 

Act of 1966, helps protect these 

priceless historical sites on the Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS). Doing so 

shares history that might otherwise 

be forgotten.

One collaborative multiyear 

project documents historically 

significant sites associated with 

the World War II “Battle of the 

Atlantic” off the North Carolina 

coast. The project’s mission is to 

collect data from the sites and 

identify potential impacts on the 

vessels. The Graveyard of the 

Atlantic, as the area is called, is 

the final resting place of German 

U-boats, British naval vessels, and 

U.S. Merchant Marine ships lost 

during World War II.

The July 2008 expedition 

documented the condition of three 

German U-boats: the U-85, U-352, 

and U-701. The expedition was 

exciting not only for the participants. 

A number of media reported on 

the expedition. Senior Marine 

Archaeologist, Dave Ball, was one of 

several specialists interviewed by the 

Discovery Channel Science News.

U-352 was a Type 7C U-boat, 

sunk on May 9, 1942, by the U.S. 

Coast Guard cutter Icarus. The 

survivors were the first German 

submariners captured by U.S. forces 

in the war. The sub has been looted 

for the past 30 years by souvenir 

hunters, even though the Navy had 

sealed all hatches.

U-85 was a Type 7B U-boat, 

sunk on April 13, 1942, by the U.S.S.

Roper. It is the only such sub sunk in 

U.S. waters and the first sub sunk 

U.S. Maritime History 

in the Atlantic

Above: U-352 forward deck gun mount; 

conning tower is in the background. 

Photo courtesy of Battle of the Atlantic 

Expedition 2008.

Preserving and

Respecting
12 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

For more information

“Archaeologists Seek to Preserve German U-Boats,” National 

Public Radio, July 28, 2008 

www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyID=93000869 

National Marine Sanctuaries Battle of the Atlantic

http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/missions/battleoftheatlantic/links.html 

About the Deepwrecks Project and U-166

www.pastfoundation.org/DeepWrecks/

off the U.S. coast during the war. 

Within days of its loss, the Navy 

recovered the 20-millimeter antiaircraft gun. Sadly, over the years the 

site has been severely damaged by 

aggressive relic-hunters.

U-701 was a type 7C U-boat, 

sunk on July 7, 1942, by a U.S Army 

A-29 plane from the 396th Bomb 

Squadron. It was rediscovered in 

2004. This is the most intact of the 

three U-boats, but it has suffered 

from looting in the last few years.

Because the sites are maritime 

war graves, divers used only 

non-invasive methods: mapping, 

photo, and video documentation. 

The data will contribute to the 

National Register of Historic Places 

nominations of the sites and will 

also help MMS develop monitoring 

programs for the sites.

Participants in this project, 

organized by the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration’s 

(NOAA) Monitor Marine 

Sanctuaries, included specialists 

from NOAA’s Maritime Heritage 

The MMS was invited to 

participate, in part, because of 

our experience documenting 

World War II casualties in the 

Gulf of Mexico under two 

previous MMS-funded studies. 

In 2003 MMS participated in a 

NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration 

(OE) expedition to document the 

U-166, located in 5,000 feet (1,524 

meters) of water in the Mississippi 

Canyon Area of the Gulf of Mexico. 

An episode of the History Channel’s 

Deepsea Detectives was filmed during 

this one-week investigation. 

In 2004 MMS partnered with 

NOAA OE, under the National 

Oceanographic Partnership Program, 

to document the artificial reef effect 

of World War II shipwrecks in deep 

water. This partnership included 

documenting five merchant vessel 

losses and additional documentation 

of U-166 in water depths ranging 

from 400 to 6,500 feet (121 to 1,981 

meters). These deepwater World 

War II shipwrecks were located as a 

result of MMS’s permitting process. 

As part of the outreach for these 

two projects, the PAST Foundation 

developed web pages that include 

video clips and more information.

In 2005 MMS funded a study 

to ground-truth sidescan-sonar 

targets and prepare National 

Register of Historic Places 

nominations on potentially significant sites. This study included 

investigating two additional 

World War II merchant vessels: 

Sheherazade and R.M. Parker, Jr.

Divers documenting port side of U-352. Photo courtesy of Battle of the Atlantic Expedition 2008.

Program, the National Park Service 

Submerged Resources Center, 

MMS, East Carolina University 

Maritime Heritage Program, the 

University of North Carolina 

Coastal Studies Institute, and 

the State of North Carolina. 

Because the 

sites are 

maritime war 

graves, divers 

used only 

noninvasive 

methods. . . . 
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008 13

western gulf of mexico

leasE sale 207

updated whales and

dolphins poster

I

n conjunction with the August 2008 release of an 

 important Minerals Management Service-sponsored 

 study on sperm whales in the northern Gulf of 

Mexico, MMS released an updated edition of its popular 

poster, “Whales and Dolphins of the Gulf of Mexico.” 

The poster has photographs of 12 cetacean species that 

are commonly found in the Gulf, along with interesting 

facts about each. Of the 78 cetacean species found 

worldwide, 28 are found in the Gulf; of those 28, 20 are 

year-round Gulf residents. Most people are familiar with 

the bottlenose dolphin, commonly seen in more shallow 

waters. However, fewer people know that endangered 

sperm whales live in the deeper waters 

of the Gulf. An updated Teacher’s Companion to 

the poster will be released in 2009.

Posters and other materials: www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lagniapp/lagniapp.html 

To order posters and other materials by telephone: 1-800-200-GULF

Dimensions 

30” x 24”

Secretary of the Interior 

Dirk Kempthorne officially 

opened the Western Gulf 

of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 

207 on August 20, 2008, in New 

Orleans, Louisiana, by opening and 

reading the first bid. Joining Secretary 

Kempthorne were C. Stephen Allred, 

Assistant Secretary, Lands and 

Minerals Management, and Lars 

Herbst, Regional Director, Gulf of 

Mexico Region, and Randal Luthi, 

Director, Minerals Management Service (MMS).

Lease Sale 207 included 13,400 blocks (approximately 

18 million acres) in the Western Gulf of Mexico, which 

has not typically been as active in bidding as the Central 

Gulf. The blocks are located from 9 miles to about 250 

miles (14 to 402 kilometers) offshore and are in depths that 

range from 16 feet to over 10,978 feet 

(5 to 3,346 meters). Depths greater than 

1,000 feet (305 meters) are considered 

deep water; depths greater than 5,000 feet 

(1,600 meters) are considered ultra-deep. 

The sale attracted $487,297,676 

in high bids. Fifty-three companies 

submitted 423 bids on 319 tracts off the 

Texas coast. The sum of all bids received 

totaled $607,134,968. 

Before awarding leases, MMS will 

evaluate each high bid on a block.

Approximately 17 percent of 

the blocks that received bids are in 

ultra-deepwater. The deepest block 

bid on is Alaminos Canyon, Block 

783 in 9,767 feet (2,977 meters) of 

water. The block that received the 

highest bid was also in Alaminos 

Canyon; Statoil Gulf of Mexico 

LLC bid $61,110,000 for Block 380.

Lease sales provide qualified bidders the 

opportunity to bid upon and lease acreage in order 

to explore, develop, and produce energy on the OCS. 

However, it is just one step in a lengthy process to safely 

explore and develop offshore energy resources.

For more information

Western Gulf Lease Sale 207 terms and information

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lsesale/207/wgom207.html 

Map of Gulf of Mexico planning areas and active leases

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lsesale/mau_gom_pa.pdf 

Deep Water: Where the Energy Is

www.mms.gov/Assets/PressConference11152004/MSGlossySingle_110404.pdf 

Lease sale attendees review blocks 

receiving bids.
14 mms OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

Southern California Offshore Platforms

and

Marine

Organisms

Diadumene sp. Photo courtesy of University 

of California, Santa Barbara.

Deputy Secretary of the Interior 

Lynn Scarlett announces biotech study.

The Minerals 

Management Service 

(MMS) is responsible for 

managing over 1.76 

billion acres of offshore 

lands. This entails balancing responsibly the development of the Nation’s 

energy resources while protecting the 

ocean’s natural environment.

The potential for harvesting 

marine organisms that hold valuable 

natural products has gained interest 

worldwide. However, harvesting 

sufficient quantities of such 

organisms for applied uses could 

have significant ecological impacts. 

The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

offshore oil and gas platforms, 

which provide habitat for marine 

communities of over 50 species of 

algae and invertebrates, may offer a 

feasible sustainable alternative. 

When platforms are periodically 

cleaned for structural safety reasons, 

the organisms growing on them 

are removed. This untapped source 

of marine organisms for natural 

products research–and possibly for 

future harvesting–may eliminate 

direct ecological effects of harvesting 

on natural reefs. One example is 

the sustained harvesting of mussels 

from offshore oil platforms in the 

Southern California Bight for 

human consumption. 

Studies of marine invertebrates 

have led to important pharmaceutical 

discoveries, such as anti-cancer 

and anti-inflammatory treatments 

and bio-adhesive applications. The 

MMS has conducted several studies 

related to marine biotechnology 

through its Coastal Marine Institute 

(CMI) Program, part of the 

Environmental Studies Program. 

The CMI Program was formed 
Watersipora subtorquata. Photo courtesy of University of California, Santa Barbara.

For more information

Advancing Marine Biotechnology study

www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/enviro/2008-Adv-Marine-Biotech-Study.pdf 

Coastal Marine Institute

www.coastalresearchcenter.ucsb.edu/cmi/Main.html 

MMS Ocean Science, January/February/March 2008

www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/ocean_science/mms_ocean_08_jan_feb_mar.pdf

Deputy Secretary of the Interior 

Lynn Scarlett tours biotech lab. 

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008 15

through a Cooperative Agreement 

between MMS and the University 

of California at Santa Barbara 

(UCSB). (For more information 

about marine biotechnology research 

and potential, see MMS Ocean Science

January/February/March 2008.) 

This summer, MMS released 

an exciting report, Advancing Marine 

Biotechnology: Use of OCS Platforms as 

Sustainable Sources of Marine Natural 

Products, which resulted from a 

5-year research initiative through 

its CMI Program.

The study focused on the 

biological potential, distribution, 

demographics, and genetics of 

selected marine organisms on seven 

offshore platforms in California’s 

Santa Barbara Channel. 

Results indicate that Watersipora 

subtorquata (an encrusting bryozoan) 

contains a red pigment, not 

previously described before in the 

literature, which is a viable candidate 

for further cell division studies. An 

organic extract from Diadumene sp. 

(an anenome) was found to inhibit 

proliferation in the human lung 

cancer cell line. Results of studies on 

crude extracts of Diadumene sp. and 

Strongylocentrotus purpuratus 

Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Photo courtesy 

of The Marine Laboratory.

(sea urchin) suggest that coumarins, 

such as dicoumarol, may be 

attractive for developing new 

cancer treatment drugs, including 

taxol and vincristine.

According to Deputy Secretary 

of the Interior Lynn Scarlett, “This 

first step in understanding the 

marine environment’s potential for 

biomedical application is a testament 

to the vision of MMS’s premier 

ocean science program and to the 

talented research team at UCSB.”

Offshore oil and gas platforms 

may eventually provide not only 

needed energy for our Nation but 

also a renewable source of 

marine organisms suitable for 

biomedical applications.
MMS: A steward of 

the ocean environment

mms OCEAN SCIENCE

Minerals Management Service

Mail Stop 5431

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

Prstd Std 

US Postage

PAID

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LateEWBreaking News &

WAVES

 Information

Greg Gould was selected as the new 

Associate Director of the 

Minerals Revenue Management program in June 2008 

by MMS Director Randall Luthi. For the past 

four years, Gould was the Chief of the MMS’s 

Environmental Division. 

Gould’s work with the Department of the Interior 

began in 1981 as a geologist with the Bureau of 

Land Management. In addition to his work as a 

Minerals Leasing Specialist with the MMS Atlantic 

OCS Region, Gould has worked in the MMS 

headquarters offices as a marine policy analyst 

with the Offshore Information Program, a physical 

scientist with the Civil/Criminal Penalties Program, 

and Chief of the Safety and Enforcement Branch 

in the Engineering and Operations Division. 

A graduate of the Senior Executive Fellows 

Program of the John F. Kennedy School of 

Government at Harvard University, Gould holds a 

Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the State 

University of New York and a Master’s degree in 

public administration from George Mason University.

Mike Saucier was recently 

selected as the 

new Regional Supervisor for Field Operations in 

the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region. Lars Herbst, 

Regional Director of the Gulf of Mexico OCS 

Region, announced his selection of Saucier in 

early July 2008.

Saucier holds a Bachelor of Science degree 

in petroleum engineering from Louisiana State 

University. He began his career with MMS in 

1984 as a staff engineer in MMS’s Houma District 

Office in Louisiana. In 1988 he became the 

District’s drilling engineer and was promoted in 

1995 to District Supervisor of the Houma District 

Office. He recently served as Deputy Regional 

Supervisor for District Operations in the Field 

Operations Office.

Saucier supervises a staff of 170 engineers, 

geoscientists, inspectors, and technicians 

responsible for safe and environmentally 

responsible oil and gas operations in the Gulf of 

Mexico region.

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