Photos & Videos
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Outreach Event Recap! 🐋
SBNMS joined the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival in New London, CT from September
7th-8th. During the event, we hosted anatomy tours of Salt, the life-sized inflatable
Humpback whale. Over 700 visitors learned new information about marine life and the
importance of National Marine Sanctuaries! We received lots of great whale questions and
even made some new puppy friends! 🐾
We'd like to give a special shout out to the Ella T. Grasso Technical High School students
that joined us as volunteers for the event, and all of the help we received during set up
and tear down from volunteers through the US Navy, Coast Guard and National Guard! Thank
you!!
🎥: CT Maritime Heritage Festival 2024 Recap. Credit: Caitlin Fitzmaurice/NOAA, Laura
Howes/NOAA, Samantha Tolken/NOAA, Alice Stratton/NOAA
The 72nd Sanctuary Advisory Council Meeting
📸: Sunset from the Sanctuary's R/V Auk. Credit: Mike Bailey/NOAA
Have you heard about the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival in New London? SBNMS staff
will be hosting tours of Salt on Saturday, Sept. 7th and Sunday Sept. 8th at Fort Trumbull
State Park. Stop by and say hi if you'll be in the area!
📸: SBNMS staff and volunteers with Salt the inflatable whale. Credit: Laura Howes/NOAA
Heading out on the water this Labor Day Weekend? We are too- give us a wave if you see our
vessel! 🐋
We'll be running some BOWW (Boater Outreach for Whale Watching) trips this weekend. Sanctuary
staff and volunteers travel out to popular whale watching areas during the summer to provide
on-the-water tips for safe boating around whales and general sanctuary information to
recreational boaters. Injuries from accidents with vessels large and small is a serious
problem for sanctuary whales. An informed boating public helps to reduce the threat.
🎥: Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary's R/V Auk out on the water. Credit:
Caitlin
Fitzmaurice/NOAA
We hope you're getting as much relaxation as this snoozing great shearwater!
This bird is resting in its crate after being captured during a bird tagging cruise. It
decided to take a nap while awaiting a fitting for a new GPS tracking device. Through
tagging shearwaters, we can learn more about how they spend their time at sea and where they
travel.
🎥: A great shearwater napping in a crate oboard the R'V Auk. Credit: Laura Howes/NOAA
Happy #WorldSeabirdDay!
Celebrate with some highlights from Day 2 of Great shearwater tagging on June 27th! We were able to tag 3 more birds, bringing the total up to 11 so far this season.
On Monday, July 8th, scientists and researchers from @StellwagenBankNMS were out tagging more Great Shearwaters! Enjoy some highlights from our day and stay tuned for more updates as we follow the travel journeys of these amazing seabirds!
HELP NEEDED TO LOCATE MISSING WHALE TAG
Sanctuary researchers are asking for the public's assistance in locating a missing non-invasive research "tag” used to study large whales. The approximately 6-inch-long units looks like a toy bug, with suction cup feet and antennae located on its "head." The tag was used this month to study humpbacks whales in local waters, where 16 whales were successfully tagged- help us find the last one! The tag could wash ashore anywhere along the Massachusetts coast.
If you find the tag, use the contact information on the unit or email stellwagen@noaa.gov. The sanctuary staff and research partners appreciate your help in getting this tag back home.
Join us for Osterville Village Day! We'll be hosting tours of Salt, the life-sized inflatable Humpback whale. Additionally, you can learn about whales through interactive games and music at the "Underwater Carnival" 🎡
An inside look at Salt! Credit: Melinda Forist
Join us for Osterville Village Day! We'll be hosting tours of Salt, the life-sized inflatable Humpback whale. Additionally, you can learn about whales through interactive games and music at the "Underwater Carnival" 🎡
Salt the Inflatable Whale at the New England Aquarium's World Ocean Day event 2024. Credit: Samantha Tolken/NOAA.
Did you know that Salt, the life-sized inflatable Humpback whale, is ADA compliant? She is built with a special air-lock system, allowing entrance for visitors of all different abilities. Just last weekend Salt was able to welcome her first wheelchair user for a visit! It was so special for everyone involved, and we were happy to learn just how easy it is to use Salt's accommodation features!
Video: Highlights from Osterville Village Day 2024. Credit: Caitlin Fitzmaurice/NOAA
Our team is out this week satellite tagging Great Shearwaters! Stay tuned this week with
updates from the field. So far - 8 birds have been tagged and sampled, giving scientists
valuable information about their migration and lifecycle! Here you can see our Research
Technician, Liam Waters, releasing a tagged shearwater!
Credit: Laura Howes/NOAA
#WhatsThatWednesday
Shearwater tags calibrating their GPS functions outside our office.
Credit: Caitlin Fitzmaurice/NOAA
Now that summer is up and running, spotting #whales at sea can be a magical experience for a
boater, but it can also mean dangerous accidental collisions. Check out and share these tips
below!
Credit: See a Spout
It’s #MarineDebrisMonday!
While scientists and researchers from NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary are
out on research missions, they stop to pick up marine debris such as balloons as often as
possible.
Credit: NOAA SBNMS
On Saturday, June 1st, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary staff and volunteers joined
the New England Aquarium’s annual World Ocean Day event, leading tours of Salt the
life-sized inflatable Humpback whale. This year’s event theme was “Connecting Communities,
Empowering Action for Our Ocean. Salt was prominently on display on the front plaza outside
the aquarium’s main entrance. Visitors enjoyed tours of Salt, learning about Humpback whale
anatomy, Salt's huge family tree, and why humpback whales visit Stellwagen Bank National
Marine Sanctuary. We loved chatting with so many visitors and making new friends!
Credit: Samantha Tolken/NOAA
In April 2024, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary staff and volunteers participated in Whales In Motion through Sound Explorations, a special interactive exhibit celebrating Massachusetts Right Whale Day at Boston’s Museum of Science. Blind and visually-impaired students and adults experienced the locomotion and foraging behavior of humpback and North Atlantic right whales through 3D sculpture models with musicians performing live. As participants ran their hands across these sculpture models, musicians performed action-specific melodies that matched the same contour and shape of the model. Credit: Laura Howes/NOAA