The New England Aquarium documented more than 2,000 animals in aerial survey off Cape Cod

BOSTON — The New England Aquarium spotted more than 2,000 animals during a recent flight over the Northeast Canyons and Seamount Marine National Monument.

Scientists with the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life conducted an aerial survey on Aug. 16 and saw 15 different marine species.

They originally counted 1,800 dolphins across four species. Later, the team identified a sperm whale, humpback whale and an endangered fin whale mother and calf.

Scientists also documented manta rays, devil rays, Chilean devil rays, hammerhead sharks and 11 whale sharks.

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Just outside of the monument, they saw an endangered blue whale and a small group of endangered fin whales feeding.

Prior to this, the last time the Aquarium flew over the monument was on July 13. On that flight they identified only 650 animals.

“The diversity of sightings was truly remarkable and a testament to why the monument is such a special habitat,” said Katherine McKenna, an associate research scientist in the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center.

The monument was created in 2016 and covers nearly 5,000 square-miles. It is positioned 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod and contains four underwater mountains and three deep-sea canyons.

In 2022, Anderson Cabot Center researchers released a study in Conservation Science and Practice that used 180,000 sightings from the U.S. East Coast waters. The study demonstrated that the monument supports a diverse marine mammal community.

Earlier this year, the Trump Administration removed certain protections for the monument, allowing commercial fishing.

“Seeing a variety of threatened and endangered species actively feeding in the monument was particularly memorable and underscores the importance of protecting this productive habitat,” McKenna said.

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