Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is located off the coast of Massachusetts, north of Cape Cod. The sand and gravel plateau that is now the Stellwagen Bank was formed millions of years ago, during the slow retreat of massive Ice Age glaciers. The underwater plateau affects the currents of the waters in the area and the resulting upwellings are the driving force in the food web of the region. The area was named for Captain Henry Stellwagen, a hydrographer for the U.S. Navy. Stellwagen discovered the plateau in 1854 and described it then as "an important discovery in the location of a fifteen fathom bank lying in a line between Cape Cod and Cape Ann." Below are links that provide information about the Stellwagen National Marine Sanctuary.