IMIS

The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary stretches between Cape Ann and Cape Cod at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay in the southwestern corner of the Gulf of Maine (GoM). Nearly the size of the state of Rhode Island and located wholly within federal waters, sanctuary boundaries include the submerged lands of Stellwagen Bank, all of Tillies Bank and Basin, and the southern portions of Jeffrey’s Ledge. The sanctuary protects 842 square miles (638 square nautical miles) of open ocean, overlaying a diverse seafloor topography and array of benthic and pelagic habitats that support biological communities broadly representative of the GoM. The sanctuary’s mission is to conserve, protect and enhance the biological diversity, ecological integrity and cultural legacy of the sanctuary while facilitating uses that are compatible with the primary goal of resource protection. When Congress designated the sanctuary in 1992, it did so to recognize the nationally significant conservation and aesthetic qualities of the site. Congress directed that the sanctuary be managed to maintain the habitats and ecological services of the natural assemblage of living resources of the area, as well as its maritime heritage resources. The Stellwagen Bank sanctuary is the only federal entity andated to conserve biological diversity and protect maritime heritage resources in the offshore waters of the GoM.