| MARINE LIFE |

New England has a vibrant marine ecosystem that is beautiful, fragile and highly diverse. It supports seagrass meadows, rockweed and kelp forests that provide young of the year fish and many other species a place to hide from visual predators like striped bass, hake and pollock. Other inhabitants along the sandy seafloor, rocky shores, and shipwrecks include flounder, rays, sea robins and colorful anemones that create living structures. Moving more quickly within the open ocean are giant schools of mackerel, squid and sandlance. Even faster are blue sharks, dolphins, seals and sea birds that migrate great distances to feed within the nutrient rich waters. Many of these marine animals thrive in the crown jewel of New England, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, located just 25 nautical miles off the coat of Boston. This mosaic of habitats and wildlife are all inter-connected to create a healthy and productive marine ecosystem.