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Showing posts from November, 2011

Northbrook Academy assists NECWA with an ocean sunfish necropsy.

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On Saturday, November 5, 2011, Northbrook Academy parents and students helped staff from the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) examine a dead ocean sunfish that stranded on the shores of Monument Beach. This carcass was recently reported to NECWA’s Ocean Sunfish Stranding Network and the carcass looked as if it was only a few days old. This ocean fish carcass was missing the majority of its dorsal fin. Since the cut completely severed the top of the dorsal fin, we assume that the injury was the result of a collision with a large vessel. The tissue at the site of the injury was raw and red, indicating that the injury was relatively recent. Ocean sunfish are the heaviest bony fish in the world and are common visitors to our New England waters, during the summer and fall. These large fish migrate great distances to feed in our cold waters on jellyfish, ctenophores and other gelatinous critters. As winter approaches, ocean sunfish begin their migrations south to spend their win

Fall Newsletter from NECWA - Read all about it!

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Click HERE to read our Fall NECWA Newsletter.

Beach Cleanup at Scusset Beach - A huge success!

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On October 29, 2011, NECWA teamed up with Captain John Whale Watching and Fishing Tours and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to cleanup Scusset Beach. This cleanup effort was part of COASTSWEEP, the Commonwealth’s annual coastal cleanup program that is organized by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and the Urban Harbors Institute of the University of Massachusetts Boston. Last year, over 2,900 COASTSWEEP volunteers collected over 20,000 pounds of trash from beaches, marshes, rivers, ponds, and the seafloor. At 9 am, eleven volunteers met at Scusset Beach, a beautiful beach located within the Scusset Beach State Reservation on Cape Cod Bay. Everyone was bundled in hats and gloves, as it was mostly cloudy with increasing winds. Equipped with trash bags, gloves and data sheets, volunteers ventured onto the beach in pairs or trios looking for a variety of marine debris. Each piece of trash or debris that was collected was logged into the data sheet and all da