NECWA News Blog

After the morning's Seal & Seabird cruise, Krill and Nick stopped by the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to see Bob Prescott about a report of a dead ocean sunfish that washed ashore at Linell Landing. When they arrived, they found Bob in the Nature Center's wet lab getting 5 live Kemp ridley sea turtles ready for transport to a rehab facility in Quincy. These endangered sea turtles had recently cold-stunned and washed ashore on various Cape beaches over the Thanksgiving holiday. To learn more, please read the article at the end of this post that was just posted today on Cape Cod Times online. This article provides an overview of the sea turtle rescues this season. Bob Prescott is the Director of MA Audubon at Wellfleet Bay and a long-time friend and supporter of NECWA. Bob has been instrumental in helping Krill with ocean sunfish necropsies and internal examinations. Not only is Bob extremely knowledgeable about many marine animals, but he truly enjoys learning about...

Today NECWA staff and interns (Krill and her family along with Nick and Caitlyn) enjoyed a trip aboard the Naviator to view the seabirds, sea ducks and seals in Wellfleet Harbor. As we boarded the boat, we said hello to our good friend Capt. Ricky Merrill, owner and operator of the Naviator. The Naviator is a party boat that fishes out of Wellfleet Harbor for much of the season. Capt. Ricky also collaborates with MA Audubon on a number of nature excursions including their summer Marine Wildlife Cruises and their fall Seabird & Seal Cruises. On the way out to Billingsgate Shoal, our MA Audubon naturalist, Dennis Murley, pointed out the different seabirds and sea ducks that were in Wellfleet Harbor. Dennis is one of the most knowledgeable naturalists who really understand the unique coastal marine wildlife in the area. Even though we have joined Dennis for many of these types of excursions, we always learn so much and have a great time in the process. As we traveled through the harb...

Striped Dolphin Necropsy at the Marine Mammal Research Facility This morning, NECWA staff members Krill Carson and Dominica Webster as well as NECWA intern Tammy Silva headed down to the Marine Mammal Research Facility in Woods Hole to help with the necropsy of a striped dolphin. This state-of-the-art facility is part of the Marine Mammal Center at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Misty Niemeyer, staff member of IFAW's Marine Mammal Rescue and Research Program (IFAW MMRR). would be leading the necropsy and overseeing the collection of all data and tissue samples. Strict protocols must be followed to ensure the safety of all personnel involved with any marine mammal examination and necropsy. Misty went over all the necessary procedures and explained the reason for each protocol or activity. One protocol requires that all participants wear safety googles and a face mask. This is to protect all personnel from the accidental spraying of marine mammal blood fluids as the ...

NECWA and Captain John Boats collaborate on a Marine Wildlife Internship program. Captain John provides two free tickets each day for NECWA interns to accompany whale watching passengers offshore. NECWA interns assist with educational outreach while offshore and when on the whales, they collect sighting data and photographic/video information. Later, NECWA interns will analyze this information and share their findings with other research groups in the area. This internship program is a wonderful way for students and professionals within the New England area to get experience in the field of marine biology and marine science. We want to thank Captain John Boats for providing this opportunity to NECWA interns since 2005. This Sunday, October 31st, is our last day of whale watching for the 2010 season. To celebrate this event, Captain John Boats is offering a Halloween special (see below). We hope you can join us this Sunday for our last whale watching trip. By supporting Captain John Bo...