NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary New England's only National Marine Sanctuary, located east of Boston and between Cape Ann and Cape Cod. HQ offices in Scituate, MA.

Visit the sanctuary's website at http://stellwagen.noaa.gov for more information.

These are just a few things that we think are kinda chic at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary ✨Kinda chic to rem...
08/17/2026

These are just a few things that we think are kinda chic at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary ✨

Kinda chic to remove marine debris from the ocean. Marine debris can cause harm to wildlife, so we stop to pick up as many balloons as we can while we’re out on our research vessel.

📸: Amy retrieves a balloon from the ocean. Credit: Anne-Marie Runfola/NOAA



Kinda chic to to study whales using non-invasive suction cup tags attached via drone. These short-term tags allow us to see what the whales are doing below the surface, tracking their depth, pitch, roll, acoustics, and sometimes even video footage. Stay tuned for more updates from this year’s whale tagging!

📸: A drone hovers over a whale, getting ready to release a suction cup tag. Credit: Caitlin Fitzmaurice/NOAA. This research is conducted under MMPA Permit 27272-01.

Kinda chic to educate the public about marine life. We travel with our life-sized inflatable whale to public events, providing whale anatomy tours and sharing information about local marine life and our research projects.

📸: Sam, Caitlin, Laura and Alice prepare for inflatable whale tours. Credit: Samantha Tolken/NOAA

Kinda chic to study indicator species like seabirds. We attach satellite tags to shearwaters to learn more about their movement and migration patterns. We will be sharing updated maps on the movements of this year’s tagged birds soon!

📸: Tammy and Liam attach a satellite tag to a Great shearwater. Credit: Michael Thompson/NOAA

Kinda chic to explore shipwrecks and maritime heritage. Our Stellwagen Mapping Initiative has been busy mapping the seafloor and using an ROV to explore underwater cultural heritage, including shipwrecks.

📸: Evan K. operates an ROV while looking at several screens during a Stellwagen Mapping Initiative mission. Credit: Samantha Tolken/NOAA

Kinda chic to follow wildlife viewing guidelines. It is important to give wildlife lots of space- for their safety and yours! Give us a wave if you see us out on a Boater Outreach for Whale Watching trip, sharing resources with recreational boaters for safe boating aroun

Are you visiting Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary this summer? Keep an eye (or ear) out for some of our avian v...
08/14/2026

Are you visiting Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary this summer? Keep an eye (or ear) out for some of our avian visitors, who are also here for the season. Species like the laughing gull, with its distinctive, laugh-like call, nest in New England for the summer before migrating south for the winter.

Learn more about Stellwagen Bank’s birds of summer ⬇️
https://stellwagen.noaa.gov/visit/birdwatching/guide-to-santuary-birds.html

📸: A Laughing gull standing on the beach. Credit: Peter Flood

Do you recognize this whale? 🐳🧂This we’re highlighting Salt, one of the most famous humpback whales! Salt is nicknamed...
08/12/2026

Do you recognize this whale? 🐳🧂

This we’re highlighting Salt, one of the most famous humpback whales! Salt is nicknamed the Grand Dame of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Salt was the first humpback whale to ever get a name and she was named for the white patch on her back, or dorsal fin. The captain who named her thought the white mark resembled someone sprinkling salt on her back. She has been sighted in the area almost every year since the mid-1970s and has a huge family tree, consisting of at least 16 known calves, 20 known grand-calves, and 4 known great-grand-calves.

Have you ever seen Salt while boating or on a whale watch?

📸: Salt’s dorsal fin and Salt’s flukes with the Boston, MA skyline in the background. Credit: Laura Howes/NOAA taken under MMPA Permit 27272-01

Getting on a boat sometime soon? Check out these tips for safe boating around whales! ⛵🐳Seeing a whale while out at sea ...
08/07/2026

Getting on a boat sometime soon? Check out these tips for safe boating around whales! ⛵🐳

Seeing a whale while out at sea is an exciting experience, but it can also result in accidental collisions that are harmful for both the boater and the whale. Be sure to by giving wildlife plenty of space! Never approach whales head on as this can interrupt their behavior. The See a Spout program has many more tips for safe boating around whales, as well as a free course for recreational boaters! You can find more info here: https://stellwagen.noaa.gov/protect/whales.html

📸: A humpback whale dives with the research vessel Auk in the background. Credit: NOAA taken under NOAA Fisheries Research Permit #14245

08/06/2026

Recently, we have received a number of reports of tuna fishermen trolling their gear too close to humpback whales. This can and has resulted in injuries to both the whales and the people.

Help prevent these injuries by keeping a safe distance of at least 100-600 ft from humpback whales (and at least 1,500 feet from endangered North Atlantic right whales, as required by federal law).

Humpback whales create bubble clouds to corral their prey and then lunge through the center to swallow the small fish. All boaters should also leave plenty of space from these bubble patches to avoid colliding or entangling a massive 80,000-pound whale as it rapidly surfaces. A collision with a vessel or entanglement in fishing lines can cause serious injuries to the whale and sometimes be fatal. Collisions with whales have also thrown boaters from vessels and caused serious injuries and even death to people.

Boats in close proximity are also at risk of disrupting feeding whales. All whales in U.S. waters are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal for people to harm, injure, kill, chase, or harass whales or any other marine mammal. Harassment includes any activity, intentional or not, that results in changes to the whales’ natural behaviors, such as feeding. Violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act can result in fines upward of $34,000 and up to one year in prison.

Boaters are urged to report any entanglement sightings to NOAA Fisheries by dialing the hotline at 866-755-6622 or by calling the US Coast Guard on VHF 16.

If you witness dangerous or questionable behavior on the water, please call the NOAA Fisheries' Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964.

08/05/2026

It’s ! 🐳

Do you know what this Humpback whale is doing?

This is a behavior called flipper slapping! This whale is laying with it’s belly up, alternating slapping its right and left pectoral fin against the surface of the ocean. Similar to breaching, scientists think that flipper slapping may be a form of communication. Have you ever seen flipper slapping in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary?

🎥: A Humpback whale flipper slapping. Credit: Caitlin Fitzmaurice/NOAA

Happy Birthday to the United States Coastguard! Today is the 236th anniversary of the Coast Guard’s establishment in 179...
08/04/2026

Happy Birthday to the United States Coastguard! Today is the 236th anniversary of the Coast Guard’s establishment in 1790. The safety the coastguard provides allows us to enjoy sanctuaries safely. Our Stellwagen headquarters office is also a retired coastguard station, so a perfect way to celebrate!



📸: Pete DeCola/NOAA

Address

175 Edward Foster Rd
Scituate, MA
02066

Telephone

+17815458026

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