Download and print our NECWA Donation Tags so you can tag your bags and boxes with our information. Click HERE to download the PDF file of the tag image below. This file is also on the NECWA Event's Page on our website at www.necwa.org.

NECWA News Blog - The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) is an all volunteer non-profit organization based in southeastern MA. Our focus is to better understand and protect coastal marine wildlife, including whales, seabird, seals, basking sharks and ocean sunfish. Contact us at contact@necwa.org.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Savers Fundraiser for NECWA in 2017 - Collect used articles for NECWA
Download and print our NECWA Donation Tags so you can tag your bags and boxes with our information. Click HERE to download the PDF file of the tag image below. This file is also on the NECWA Event's Page on our website at www.necwa.org.
2017 Marine Wildlife Calendar from NECWA
Coming soon, NECWA staff member, Courtney Callahan, has put together a fabulous calendar for 2017. Inside are many beautiful photos of whales, seals, seabirds, ocean sunfish and other animals that NECWA has taken over the years.
Support NECWA through the purchase of our first Marine Wildlife calendar. Calendars are $15 each, including shipping.
Check back soon to learn how you can get your calendar as soon as they become available.
Support NECWA through the purchase of our first Marine Wildlife calendar. Calendars are $15 each, including shipping.
Check back soon to learn how you can get your calendar as soon as they become available.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
PACTV News Review of NECWA
This fall, Kim Miot from Plymouth Public Access TV stopped by the NECWA office to chat with Krill and some of our staff members and interns on what NECWA is doing in the New England community. Kim also interviews NECWA staff members Courtney Callahan and Danny Marston.
Visit YouTube to view this short video by clicking HERE
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
North American Right Whale Consortium Overview by NECWA Intern Barbara Cross
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Location for NARW annual meeting |
The North Atlantic Right
Whale Consortium meet this past week on November 2nd and 3rd
at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in order to share scientific work done by
researchers studying Right Whales in the waters of the Gulf of Maine extending
down to Florida. The consortium was composed of an executive committee and
elected board members as well as scientists, fishermen, students and governing
environmental bodies traveling from the east coast of the US and Canada.
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A misty day in New Bedford, MA |
Among the topics discussed
were accounts of lethal and nonlethal entanglement, critical habitat, calf
exchange between mothers, new technologies for 3-D imaging, theories on feeding
habits relating to flamingo anatomy, migration patterns and much more. The
consortium included line fishing displays from commercial lobster fishermen,
and the continuing efforts from grade school students, “The Calvineers” who
advocate for the recovery of the North Atlantic Right Whale by comparing their
desires to the US Bill of Rights.
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Display of Right Whale skeleton |
As usual in the science
realm, there are always many questions and few answers. The consortium queried
during session breaks and discussion periods about basic ideas, “Is there
significant evidence to proclaim that North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) population
is crashing?” If so, “What needs to be done about it?” These questions led to a
healthy discussion and of course, more questions. At first the solution seemed
simple “Take the ropes out of the water,” said the scientists, but also to be considered
is the ever present and realistic demands of politics, the economy and present culture.
There were several statements on action that were artful and convincing from a
single perspective. There is a need for coercion and a focus on the ideas and
solutions of people, not just
scientists and not just fishermen.
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Presentation hall |
There is much we still must
learn about the NARW including their life history traits. How long do females
typically remain reproductive? How long could they live? Is it usual that
mothers will raise another mother’s calf? To answer these questions there is a
dire need to be a need for cooperative
efforts between scientists, the community, commercial fishermen and young
students. Social and cultural cohesion may be a greater challenge then increasing
the population of the NARW.
Next year’s North Atlantic
Right Whale Consortium annual meeting will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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Consortium reception |
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Right Whale hanging skeletons |
For more information about the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium visit https://www.narwc.org
Shop for the Holidays with NECWA
Support NECWA by shopping for holiday items through our new online store.
Pick-up some great deals on t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and other items.
Each purchase supports NECWA mission of helping to better understand and protect the unique coastal marine wildlife of New England.
NECWA is an all-volunteer organization so all purchases go directly to support our many projects and activities.
Thank you for your interest and your support.
To visit our store, click HERE
Pick-up some great deals on t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and other items.
Each purchase supports NECWA mission of helping to better understand and protect the unique coastal marine wildlife of New England.
NECWA is an all-volunteer organization so all purchases go directly to support our many projects and activities.
Thank you for your interest and your support.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Ocean Exploration Cruise
Thank you to all our participants who joined NECWA for our Ocean Exploration Cruise. We sailed aboard the Privateer IV, owned and operated by 7 Seas Whale Watch, for a Saturday full of wildlife viewing, big swells, science and chocolate! Thank you to our guest naturalists that included Wayne Petersen, Jim Sweeney, Ingrid Biedron, Adrian Jordan, and Thomas Robben. Thanks to NECWA staff and interns that included: Krill Carson, Tammy Silva, Courtney Callahan, Michael O'Neill, and Barbara Cross. A big thank you to 7 Seas Whale Watch, Captain Jay Frontierro and crew for doing such an amazing job offshore!
October 22nd was a mystical day beginning with limited visibility and rough seas. With Captain Jay Frontierro at the helm, veils of fog hugging the horizon where no match for his uncanny ability to uncover 10-12 humpback whales near the southwest corner of Stellwagon Bank.
Many of these humpback whales in this area, Hancock, Crisscross, Rocker, Bandit, and our beloved Salt with her 14th calf Sriracha, were intent on their feeding and gave us quite a show. The Humpbacks treated us with bubble net feeding, breaches and displayed their unique flukes under ever improving light conditions. However, there was more than one star of the show.
Not long after our departure from Gloucester we encountered 4-5 Harbor Porpoises and soon a Minke and Finback whale with the brief presence of an Ocean Sunfish! Throughout the day scientists, volunteers and interns from NECWA, Mass Audubon, and the Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary kept the ship entertained with commentary on animal behaviors, witty jokes, a free nature-themed raffle, and pre-Halloween treats.
A live plankton tow gave guests a close up view of salps that look like a translucent barrel-shaped pod or string.
Despite an unsuccessful chumming attempt to attract our favorite sea faring birds, we did see large numbers of shearwaters, including great shearwaters, Cory's shearwater, sooty shearwaters, manx shearwaters, as all as Northern gannets and jaegers who kept pace with our vessel and often with the feeding whales.
To top it all off, our day of adventure ended with a rainbow and a safe harbor. Thanks to Michael Thompson for the GIS map below of our travels offshore and the locations of the marine mammals that we observed.

Thank you to Krill Carson for organizing this trip and to our captain, participants, and scientists!
Also to go Thomas Robben's blog that reviews the trip by clicking HERE:
Most updated species List is below:
- Our weather offshore was a bit overcast with fog in the morning and periods of light to moderate rain in the afternoon. Winds were out of the north, northwest at 3-9 mph early, then west, northwest at 6-13 mph. For the birders onboard, highlights were two Sabine's gulls (adult and juvenile), five Northern fulmars, and five pomarine jaegers.
Capt. Jay |
Many of these humpback whales in this area, Hancock, Crisscross, Rocker, Bandit, and our beloved Salt with her 14th calf Sriracha, were intent on their feeding and gave us quite a show. The Humpbacks treated us with bubble net feeding, breaches and displayed their unique flukes under ever improving light conditions. However, there was more than one star of the show.
Humpbacks bubble feeding |
Video of Humpbacks feeding
Not long after our departure from Gloucester we encountered 4-5 Harbor Porpoises and soon a Minke and Finback whale with the brief presence of an Ocean Sunfish! Throughout the day scientists, volunteers and interns from NECWA, Mass Audubon, and the Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary kept the ship entertained with commentary on animal behaviors, witty jokes, a free nature-themed raffle, and pre-Halloween treats.
Michael coiling the plankton net |
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Salps (clear, globular animals) and copepods (smaller reddish creatures) |
Despite an unsuccessful chumming attempt to attract our favorite sea faring birds, we did see large numbers of shearwaters, including great shearwaters, Cory's shearwater, sooty shearwaters, manx shearwaters, as all as Northern gannets and jaegers who kept pace with our vessel and often with the feeding whales.
Our fearless companions |

Thank you to Krill Carson for organizing this trip and to our captain, participants, and scientists!
Also to go Thomas Robben's blog that reviews the trip by clicking HERE:
Most updated species List is below:
- Seabirds and Sea Ducks: Marine Mammals: Humpback Whales:
- 40 common eider 3-5 Harbor Porpoise Salt and calf (Sriracha)
- 1 white-winged scoter 1 Fin Whale Crisscross
- 3 common loon 1 Minke Whale Rocker
- 5 Norther fulmar 12-15 Humpback Whales Bandit
- 1200 Cory's shearwater Whirlygig
- 400 great shearwater Hancock
- 15 sooty shearwater Cateyes
- 164 Northern gannets Pharos
- 5 pomarine jaeger
- 60 black-legged kittiwake
Saturday, September 10, 2016
September 10, 2016 NECWA's annual Scusset Beach Coastsweep Cleanup
Fun time at NECWA's beach cleanup today at the Scusset Beach State Reservation.
A big thank you to John DeCosta and his DCR team for their support of this event! We couldn't be as successful as we are without your efforts.
Also, thank you to Stop & Shop, Shaws, and Blueberry Muffin for donating food for the breakfast and lunch provided free to all participants. Yummy!
We hope you can join us next year for this very special event. NECWA's beach cleanups are part of Coastsweep, a state-wide clean initiative each fall.
Thanks to all our participants for joining us for this special day. We hope you had as much fun as we did. Many of our participants return each year and we really appreciate that.
And thank you to our NECWA staff including Mary N., Mary I., Tammy, Courtney, and Krill. Another successful cleanup from all perspectives.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
NECWA's new e-shop is up and running!
Shop online to support NECWA.
Support NECWA by shopping in our new online store. Go to the NECWA website and click on the e-shop links at the top and on the left side of the page.
Or click HERE to go to our new online shop!
NECWA is an all-volunteer nonprofit so your purchases go to support our many projects and activities.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Got Salt Presentation
Got Salt?
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
7 pm at the Salt Pond Visitor Center, Eastham, MA
Join Krill Carson for a presentation on "Salt, the humpback whale," on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 7 pm at the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, MA.
Hear tales of Salt, the most famous humpback whale that returns each summer to feed in the cold productive waters off Cape Cod.
Events prior to this talk include the viewing of NECWA's life-sized inflatable model of Salt made by Krill and NECWA staff and interns. Kids and adults can see just how BIG Salt is by going inside her.
Krill will also have marine wildlife artifacts for viewing, including whale baleen, whale bones, whale teeth, whale prey and much more. Free educational material and buttons for all participants.
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Painterly Paint Night Fundraiser for NECWA on Earth Day!

Join the staff and interns of NECWA for a fun night of painting that will support our many programs and projects.
Hand-paint 2 glass items of your choice and use an existing design or one that you create yourself!
Registration fee includes 2 glass items, pain, brushes, smock, and professional instruction from Holli Faria of Studio Life Art.
Go to our Constant Contact Event Site by clicking HERE to learn more or to register for this fun event!
TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE! Hope you can join us for a great cause!
Display of Long-Finned Pilot Whale Skeleton at Bridgewater State University
Watch the journey of this skeleton as you learn of its death in the marshes of Lieutenant's Island in 1982 and its display at Bridgewater State University, first in the Conant Science Building and then in the new science building.
Thanks to NECWA staff member, Alex Egan, for putting this together for us. It is a fun video and we hope you enjoy it.
Best, Krill
Marine Biologist, President of NECWA
Thanks to NECWA staff member, Alex Egan, for putting this together for us. It is a fun video and we hope you enjoy it.
Best, Krill
Marine Biologist, President of NECWA
Sunday, February 14, 2016
A Special Wish for YOU!
May your day be filled with love, kindness, generosity, empathy, gratitude, and compassion for all who live on this amazing planet, Earth.
We are grateful for your continued interest and support of our organization and the work that we do on behalf of people and coastal marine wildlife.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Click HERE
to learn more about this special holiday offer or to order your card today!
Payment is through PayPal (credit and debit are also accepted via PayPal).
Image of Salt by Adam Whittier © 2015
Image of Salt by Adam Whittier © 2015
Monday, January 18, 2016
2016 Sea Turtle Necropsies are in full swing!
Sea Turtle Necropsies down at Woods Hole!
As we wind down our sea turtle rescues on Cape Cod beaches, we now begin necropsying the sea turtles that didn't make it. Rescuing live animals from the beach makes our hearts sing as we feel like we are making a difference in the lives of these endangered marine creatures. So dealing with the carcasses of animals that didn't survive, makes us very sad.
If we use these carcasses as learning tools, then our efforts are not wasted. Each carcass examined allows us to collect valuable information that will help us better understand their biology and ecology.
NECWA collaborates with Mass Audubon at Wellfleet Bay for sea turtle necropsies down on the Quisset Campus at WHOI. What a great team of staff and volunteers! And what a great experience for our staff and interns.
As we wind down our sea turtle rescues on Cape Cod beaches, we now begin necropsying the sea turtles that didn't make it. Rescuing live animals from the beach makes our hearts sing as we feel like we are making a difference in the lives of these endangered marine creatures. So dealing with the carcasses of animals that didn't survive, makes us very sad.
If we use these carcasses as learning tools, then our efforts are not wasted. Each carcass examined allows us to collect valuable information that will help us better understand their biology and ecology.
NECWA collaborates with Mass Audubon at Wellfleet Bay for sea turtle necropsies down on the Quisset Campus at WHOI. What a great team of staff and volunteers! And what a great experience for our staff and interns.
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