- Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is an 842-square-mile (638-square-nautical-mile) federally protected
marine sanctuary located at the mouth ofMassachusetts Bay , betweenCape Cod andCape Ann . It is known as an excellentwhale watching site, and is home to many other species of marine life.tellwagen Bank
The heart of the sanctuary is Stellwagen Bank, an underwater
plateau stretching 19 miles north-to-south, and six miles across at its widest, near the southern end. The bank is, on average, 100 to 120 feet (30 to 40 meters) below the surface, while surrounding waters to the west are over 300 feet deep (100 m) and to the northeast as deep as 600 feet (200 m).The steep sides of the plateau cause deep-water currents to rise up when they hit the bank; this upwelling brings with it nutrients and minerals from the bottom, feeding the local ecosystem and attracting larger animals to the area. Whale watchers can frequently see
Humpback Whale s,Minke Whale s,Fin Whale s and, one of the most critically endengered whale species,North Atlantic Right Whale s.History
Stellwagen Bank owes much of its existence to the last major
ice age . 25,000 years ago, theLaurentide ice sheet advanced over the eastern United States, pushing in front of it large amounts of earth and rocks. The southern margin of the glaciers formed local geographical features includingCape Cod and Stellwagen Bank. Originally, the bank was above water, but gradually subsided over time as thepost-glacial rebound subsided.In the 17th century it was observed that the area made for excellent fishing. Large
cod andtuna were frequently caught in the area, andwhaling ships caught many whales in the area.In 1854, the US Navy sent
Lieutenant Commander Henry Stellwagen to survey and map the area. It was known that there was a bank in the area, but its extent and shape were not known. Sounding could show ships how close they were to the dangerous waters ofBoston Harbor , and so better maps were needed.Prior to Stellwagen's survey, it was believed there were two small banks in the area: one just to the north of Cape Cod, and one in the middle of the entrance to Massachusetts Bay. Stellwagen showed that they were part of one large bank. As a result, the Navy named the bank after him in 1855.
In 1992, Congress designated the area a
National Marine Sanctuary .References
* [http://www.stellwagen.noaa.gov/ Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary homepage]
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