Cape Cod Bay

Cape Cod is a well know holiday area in the United States. It is part of the Atlantic Ocean. It borders Massachusetts along with a few other bays. This area was explored by European navigator, Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. Interestingly, people think that Cape Cod Bay may have been a freshwater lake once upon a time when the last glaciations drained into the Orleans Harbor. This was also the location of the Pilgrim’s first anchorage in 1620 so this bay holds not only a lot of water but a lot of history too!

Cape Cod Bay Facts for Kids

• The Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower at Cape Cod as they were making their journey to Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• Provincetown Harbor is part of Cape Cod Bay and to honour the history of the area, a 252 foot monument was built about the event of the Pilgrims arriving in this bay.
• Cape Cod is also known for its variety of sea life! These include popular favourites such as cod, mackerel, haddock, blue-finned tuna and striped bass!
• There are also other sea mammals in these waters including dolphins, seals and even some whales! The Pilgrims apparently tried to hunt a whale when they were at Cape Cod but they did not succeed.
• Whale watching is a popular tourist attraction at Cape Cod Bay and we are sure they see some other lovely sea creatures whilst out on the boats too!
• The most popular seasons for fishing in the bay are between the months of May and October. Fishermen come to this area and fish at shore or on boats.
• Interesting fact since fishing is so popular in this bay, the most commonly used fishing bait is sea clams – they must be tasty!
• Erosion is affecting the Cape Cod and the beaches are getting bigger each year! This is beautiful for the beaches but not so great for the area.
• The Cape Cod Bay is actually connected to the Buzzards Bay. This is due to the connection from the Cape Cod Canal. This canal dates back to 1914.
• The reason this bay has such lovely marine life is because of the way the water circulates. The surface water flows in a counter-clockwise pattern. This aids in giving the area nutrients and leads to awesome creatures under the sea.
• Did you know that Cape Cod Bay is where humpback whales migrate to? They come here to munch on the fish from April to December.
• Because of the marine environment at Cape Cod Bay, it was designated as a State Ocean Sanctuary in 1970.

Questions

1. Which US State does Cape Cod border?

2. Who was the first person to discover the Cape Cod Bay area?

3. How tall is the Pilgrim monument in Provincetown Harbour?

4. Which type of whale migrates here?

5. What was Cape Cod Bay declared as in 1970?