Whale Tagging in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
April 2026
Have you ever thought about putting a fitness tracker on a whale? Whale, you're in luck! Whale tagging season is beginning in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary!
Reducing mortality caused by entanglement in commercial fishing gear and ship strike requires an understanding of how whales use the water column and seafloor relative to human activities.
Ongoing research in the sanctuary, in cooperation with a multi-disciplinary, multi-organization team, uses state-of-the-art multi-sensor tags affixed to the whales with suction cups. The tags function in a similar fashion as human fitness trackers, except on a much grander scale. The non-invasive data-recording units collect information, including heading, pitch, roll, depth, sounds made and heard, and video and imagery.
Learn more about whale tagging in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in our Earth Is Blue video!
Footage acquired under NOAA Fisheries Permit No. 27272-01 and 14245.