Fishermen, Scientists, and Shipwrecks: Unearthing Stellwagen’s Secrets Together

The Stellwagen Mapping Initiative is a multi-year collaborative project to explore and survey the seafloor in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary for underwater cultural heritage sites, such as shipwrecks, using the latest in side-scan sonar technology.

The work relies on fishermen's local knowledge of the sanctuary waters to enable focused, efficient exploration that helps researchers gather important maritime heritage data while also informing the fishing community of potential underwater hazards to avoid.

To decide which potential cultural heritage sites to investigate, NOAA researchers collaborate with industry partners to gather locations where fishermen have snagged their nets on underwater obstructions, known as "hangs".

About our Speaker:

Dr. Mires has led and participated in over 50 maritime archaeology projects worldwide. His work encompasses a diverse array of sites, including ancient Greek and Roman shipwrecks, Sweden’s iconic warship Vasa, Confederate blockade runners in the Carolinas, and various sites in Bermuda, the Caribbean Sea, the Pacific Ocean, and the Great Lakes . Notably, he co-directs a maritime archaeology field school in collaboration with the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources, the Trustees of Reservations, and the National Park Service. Current projects include archaeological investigations of the 1626 Sparrow Hawk and deep-sea research on shipwrecks in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary