Young Mariner Program

Fishing is always a blast!

Week 7!! It was a HOT one, but we found plenty of ways to stay cool! From time on the water to lots of marine adventures, we made the most of another great week at YMP.

A few more shots from our Week 7 crew!

It was Crustacean Week, so of course we had to put our campers’ crab skills to the test! Using popsicle sticks, they played a crab-flipping game that mimicked how a horseshoe crab uses its telson (tail) to help right itself when it gets flipped over.

Fun fact! Despite the name, horseshoe crabs aren’t actually crabs at all! They’re more closely related to arachnids like spiders and scorpions.

And, of course, a few other photos of our campers exploring the museum and checking out what’s growing beneath our docks during some dock fouling!

With a group of 11 boys out of 12 campers, there are bound to be a few shenanigans! 😂

The campers had an absolute blast at the beach this week! After what felt like forever, we finally got a beautiful sunny day and made the most of it.

One of our favorite beach activities is exploring the tidal creek in search of blue crabs. Although we came up empty-handed this time, there's always something exciting to discover along the way! We also had a great time using a seine net to catch and identify the tiny fish swimming along the shoreline.

BIG shoutout to Nicole Corbett from Water Stewardship Alliance for joining us last week to teach our campers all about jellyfish!

Nicole shared her fascinating research on stinging moon jellies right here on Cape Cod and even brought along two very special guests—live moon jellies, Clover and Aura! Our campers loved getting an up-close look at these incredible animals before creating their own jellyfish-inspired crafts.

Thank you, Nicole, for an unforgettable morning full of hands-on learning and marine science fun! 🪼

WE'RE ALL SMILES FOR WEEK 6! UPDATES COMING SOON 😎

A week at YMP is never complete without a little fishing! This week's catches included scup and black sea bass!

Warning: Dogfish dissection photos ⚠️

Last week, we welcomed Jessica Sheppard from Let's Explore Together for an incredible lesson all about sharks! She guided our campers through a dogfish dissection, and to our surprise, the specimens turned out to be pregnant.

Campers had the unique opportunity to observe different stages of shark development—from egg cases to tiny pups—and learn about the fascinating reproductive biology of this local shark species. It was an unforgettable (and stinky!) hands-on learning experience.

Thank you, Jessica, for sharing your knowledge and giving our campers such an amazing opportunity! 🦈