Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary
The Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is a federally protected ocean area that encompasses 842 square miles and includes Stellwagen Bank, 
Tillie’s Bank, and the southern portion of Jeffrey’s Ledge.
The image to the right was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey using computer visualization software to turn bathymetric maps into a three-dimensional image.
A more detailed description of this map can be found at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuaries page.
The most prominent underwater feature within the sanctuary is Stellwagen Bank, a large underwater plateau in the southwestern part of Massachusetts Bay, located between Cape Ann and Cape Cod.
Stellwagen Bank is a kidney-shaped feature that is 18 miles long and 6 miles across at its widest point. Water levels above the bank range from 65 feet to 100 feet, with water depths increasing to 300 feet off the edges of the bank. Stellwagen Bank is comprised of sand and gravel that was deposited as the last glacier retreated from the area. With the rise of ocean levels, this feature became an underwater plateau that now sits at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay.
This map is taken form the National Marine Sanctuaries web site.
Here you can access their larger version of the map.
Historically this bank has been a key navigational marker for mariners, but it was not until 1854 that the features of this underwater bank were investigated. At that time, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Henry S. Stellwagen, working on behalf of the Coast Survey, mapped the full length and breadth of the bank in 1854 and 1855. His subsequent map on the contours of the bank and the composition of the sea floor sediment was the first recorded view of the area and his efforts resulted in the bank being named in his honor.
Stellwagen Bank has been a critical component into 
the ongoing productivity of the Massachusetts Bay area for centuries. After its official documentation, it became an important navigational tool for ships entering and leaving New England ports like Boston and Gloucester. This area has always been important to fishermen and remains so to this day, due to the diverse and abundant fish populations offshore. Also attracted to these productive waters is a variety of unique coastal marine wildlife, many identified as endangered species. Large baleen whales, dolphins, seals, sea turtles and other mammal animals are found in abundance in these coastal waters..jpg "Fishing vessel, dragger, working the waters of Cape Cod Bay. Photo courtesy of NECWA.")
The close proximity of Stellwagen Bank to urban centers including Portsmouth, Boston, New Bedford and Providence, has created pressures that threaten the natural resources of the bank. Human activities that have been conducted in the waters above and surrounding Stellwagen Bank include whale watching, commercial and recreational fishing, commercial shipping, sewage and 
other material disposal. In 2007, construction of a liquid natural gas - LNG - facility at the northern edge of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary was intiated and is expected to be up and running in 2009. Hazards associated with an offshore port include increased large vessel traffic and operation-driven discharges such as the waste water discharges from LNG tankers.
The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary was established as a protected area on November 4th, 1992.
It was renamed in honor of the late Massachusetts Congressional Representative Gerry E. Studds, who was instrumental in making the National Marine Sanctuary Program possible.
Today, the Sanctuary’s mission is two-fold: ecological protection of both the species and the habitat that characterizes the Sanctuary area as well as promoting prudent commercial and recreational ocean activities.
The Sanctuary’s headquarters are located in Scituate, Mass. Sanctuary staff are involved in many important activities including educational outreach, research and conservation efforts pertaining to Stellwagen Bank and the waters around it. To learn more about Stellwagen Bank and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, visit the sanctuaries web site.
