Cod Bay has been connected to Buzzards Bay by the Cape Cod Canal, which divides the upper cape towns of Bourne and Sandwich. Ecology The sea life of Cape Cod Bay is quite varied and healthy. Fish that call the bay home include Bluefin Tuna, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Flounder, and Atlantic Mackerel. Sea mammals also live in Cape Cod Bay (seals, dolphins and whales). Cape Cod Bay has a diverse range of coastal and marine ecosystems, making it ecologically rich. Beaches, marshes, and offshore water provide critical habitats for plant and animal ecosystems, including commercially valuable fin-fish and shellfish, as well as endangered marine animals and birds. The bay's natural resources are used by endangered bird species like the Roseate Tern and the Piping Plover. The North Atlantic right whale, which is severely endangered, feeds in Cape Cod Bay. From April to December, humpback whales travel to Cape Cod Bay and nearby seas to feast on schooling fish. The Pilgrims shot at a whale unsuccessfully while they were anchored in Provincetown Harbor in 1620. Water Resources Cape Cod is blessed with abundant water resources. These resources include both saltwater and freshwater. Below is a list of the most important resources. Coastal Waters The Atlantic Ocean, Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound, Buzzards Bay, and Cape Cod Bay form a 559-mile coastline that surrounds the majority of the Cape. There are 53 saltwater embayments along this extensive stretch of coastline, each of which is formed by a depression or dip in the coastline that forms a bay abutting the ocean. Estuaries are where rivers and the sea meet. Freshwater, brackish, tidal wetlands, and tidal channels are all found in estuaries. Rivers, streams, and groundwater pour into the ocean's estuaries and embayments on Cape Cod. Freshwater bodies The Cape is home to more than a thousand lakes. Nearly 11,000 acres are covered by 996 freshwater ponds and lakes, with individual ponds and lakes ranging in size from less than one acre to 735 acres and 166 "big ponds" of 10 acres or more. Groundwater supplies the Cape's ponds and lakes. Groundwater can flow into and out of ponds thanks to the Cape's sandy soils. As a result, pond pollution is likely to pollute groundwater and vice versa. Groundwater The Cape's lifeline is groundwater. Rain and melting snow swiftly sink into our sandy soils, where it pools to form a massive subterranean groundwater reservoir beneath