Stellwagen Bank
National Marine Sanctuary

  1. Home
  2. SBNMS

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, a wild ocean place near an urban world, sits east of Boston, Massachusetts between Cape Ann and Cape Cod. Historically important as a fishing ground, New England's only national marine sanctuary now reigns as a premier whale watching destination and continues to support commercial and recreational fishing. It serves as an important stopover location for migrating birds and a seasonal destination for both summer and winter species. Its shipwrecks serve as time capsules of our nation's maritime history.

Learn more about Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary at stellwagen.noaa.gov.

The Massachusetts Coast with the sanctuary boundaries highlighted
This graphic map illustrates the waters protected by Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary's boundaries, shown in teal, encompass a large area in the southern Gulf of Maine, extending from Cape Ann to Cape Cod.

Quick Facts

Location: 25 miles east of Boston, 3 miles southeast of Cape Ann and 3 miles north of Cape Cod

Protected Area: 842 square miles

Designation: November 1992

Habitats:

  • Boulder reefs
  • Gravel fields
  • Muddy basins
  • Open ocean
  • Rocky ridges
  • Sandy banks
  • Shipwrecks

Key Species:

  • American lobster
  • Atlantic bluefin tuna
  • Atlantic cod
  • Atlantic white-sided dolphin
  • Great shearwater
  • Humpback whale
  • North Atlantic right whale
  • Northern sand lance
  • Sea scallop
  • Wilson’s storm petrel

Sanctuary Highlight

the massive head of a whale pokes above the ocean surface next to a team of researchers on a small boat
Read

Tagging Humpbacks: Where Biology, Conservation, and Engineering Meet

Each year, researchers at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary learn more about whale behaviors through the use of non-invasive biologging tags. This year, the team was able to successfully tag all members of one group and track every behavior the tagged animal does at the surface. Join researchers for a day of tagging two humpback whales in the sanctuary---named Azrael and 3.14--- during the 2024 field season, and learn about the latest aerial drone technology being used.

Multimedia

Our Planet is an Ocean Planet: Earth Is Blue.

No matter where you are, the ocean and Great Lakes are in your hands. We hope these images and videos from Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary inspire you to help care for our ocean and to spread the word that Earth isn't green—it's blue.

seascape with birds flying and boats above water; whales feeding and breaching; fish and loster below; an rove examining a shipwreck
A white shark takes a bite form a whale carcass
A seal pokes its head out of the water
overhead view of humpback whales swimming underwater
diver examining the wreck of paul palmer
photo of whale feeding and lots of seagulls surrounding it

National Marine Sanctuary System

national marine Sanctuary system map

Safeguarding America's Premier Marine Places

From Washington state to the Gulf of America and from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Islands, the National Marine Sanctuary System protects 18 underwater parks spanning over 629,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes waters. By investing in innovative solutions, we strengthen these iconic places to address 21st-century challenges while supporting America's commerce and tourism. These unique locations inspire people to visit, value, and steward our nation’s iconic ocean and Great Lakes waters.