Research and Monitoring

a seafloor in stellwagen bank national marine sanctuary
Areas of the sanctuary with hard substrate can support large and diverse communities, unless disturbed by natural and human activities. The sanctuary has supported studies looking at seafloor recovery from human-caused impacts. Photo: Matthew Lawrence/NOAA

The sanctuary supports an active research program that brings together multi-organizational and multi-disciplinary teams to better understand the status of sanctuary resources and to help guide the best possible conservation strategies. The sanctuary's position in the southwest corner of the Gulf of Maine, near the Boston Metropolitan area with its abundant academic resources and the Cape Cod/southeastern Massachusetts region, an east coast center for marine research and industry, allows the sanctuary staff to consult and partner with experts in diverse marine fields.