Over 2,000 animals spotted off the coast of Cape Cod

Key Points:

• On August 16, New England Aquarium aerial survey observers spotted over 2,000 marine animals from 15 species while flying over the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, located 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod.
• The marine sanctuary, designated in 2016, includes four underwater mountains and three deep-sea canyons, providing a rich habitat that attracts a diverse range of marine life such as dolphins, sperm whales, baleen whales, whale sharks, and manta rays.
• Researchers documented 1,800 dolphins, endangered sperm and fin whales, a humpback whale, 11 whale sharks, various rays, and hammerhead sharks, highlighting the area's role as a critical feeding ground for threatened and endangered species.
• The presence of these species actively feeding in the Monument emphasizes the importance of protecting this productive habitat, especially amid recent decisions by the Trump Administration to permit commercial fishing in the area.