More Special Places

Jordan Basin

Jordan Basin lies about 70 miles south of Bar Harbor, Maine and is one of three deep basins in the Gulf of Maine. In recent years, it was found to be a wintering ground for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, one of the rarest animals on the planet. Jordan Basin has a deep, muddy bottom, which may not be as exciting to the mind as other areas, but its ecological importance is just as high as that of other types of habitats.

Deep Sea Canyons

At the southern edge of Georges Bank lie a number of deep-sea canyons that provide habitat for corals, sponges, anemones, and other species. Corals thrive in this environment because they can successfully attach to the hard, sloping seafloor and eat the abundant microscopic plants and animals that are swept over the canyons by deep-sea currents. The canyons are also important breeding and foraging areas for commercially significant species, including the American lobster, monkfish, and red crabs. Endangered Sperm whales, North Atlantic Right whales and Beaked whales all make their way to the canyons to feed. Because of their important ecological function, sensitivity to human-caused impacts, and rarity of habitat type, many of the Atlantic canyons are proposed to be protected as “Habitat Areas of Particular Concern” by the New England Fishery Management Council, which would restrict potentially harmful activities from occurring in these areas. Since late 2009, portions of four of the canyons have been closed to destructive bottom trawling and scallop dredges in an effort to protect the golden tilefish, which burrow in the sediment in the canyons.

Seamounts

Seamounts are underwater mountain peaks that rise from the ocean floor. They often hold unique habitats that serve as the homes of numerous rare or interesting fish and invertebrate species, including deep-water corals. The New England chain of seamounts extends in a line stretching southeast from Georges Bank into the greater Atlantic Ocean. Four of these seamounts exist in the part of the ocean under United States jurisdiction – Bear, Physalia, Mytilus and Retriever. Two of these, Bear (1102 meters deep) and Retriever (1819 meters deep), have been proposed for some protection by the New England Fishery Management Council. The coral found on the seamounts provides shelter to numerous fish and invertebrate species, making the New England seamounts essential habitats for various types of marine life.

Jeffreys Ledge

Jeffreys Ledge is a long, winding, relatively shallow area which stretches from the coast of Cape Ann, Massachusetts to just southeast of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The Ledge is a 33-mile glacial deposit and is highly productive for marine life as a result of the upwelling current that occurs because the shallow ledge is surrounded by deep ocean waters.[1] Because the ocean bottom in the area is so complex, there are many small shallow areas which create similar, more localized upwelling effects. While the whole ledge is not protected, the lower southeastern third portion of Jeffreys Ledge is included in the boundaries of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.[2]

Contact:
Priscilla Brooks, Ph.D., Director, Ocean Conservation
Sean Cosgrove, Ocean Campaign Director