Cashes Ledge: The Yellowstone of the North Atlantic

Cashes Ledge is a 32-mile-long series of underwater mountains in deep 700-800 feet of water in the central Gulf of Maine. Cashes boast the deepest and densest kelp forest on the Eastern Seaboard and an environment abounding in fish and sea life. After diving at Cashes over Ammen Rock, a peak that sits just 27 feet below the surface at low tide, globally famous marine researcher Sylvia Earle, said it was the "The Yellowstone of the North Atlantic.”

Join us for a presentation by Zack Klyver, marine mammal scientist, educator, and conservationist. Zack has visited Cashes numerous times and led several day trips to Cashes Ledge through his company FLUKES where they have seen North Atlantic right whales numerous species of marine mammals and birds.

University of Maine marine scientist Dr. Robert Steneck, who spent years studying the ledge’s benthic habitat describes it as, "The Lost World”. Ocean researchers have long considered this remote area an oceanic gem. It encompasses the underwater mountain range, ledges, ridges, and surrounding deep water basins. The kelp beds are home to a stunning, red-colored cod species and exceptional benthic life. This massive range of ledges creates upwellings of cold nutrient-rich water that fuel an explosion of plankton, that feed herring, squid, and mackerel, who in turn are prey for tuna, sharks, seabirds, and a high diversity of marine mammals.

On July 29th, 2024, the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) submitted the nomination for Cashes Ledge to be a National Marine Sanctuary. The nomination was submitted to the Sanctuaries program for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and would protect a 766-square-mile protected site encompassing Cashes Ledge, Parker Ridge, and Sigsbee Ridge.