NECWA News Blog

Ocean Sunfish Rescue off Wellfleet Harbor - Jan Albaum and Harry Cerino Note from Krill: Not very often do you meet a couple like Jan Albaum and Harry Cerino. They were so concerned about an ocean sunfish that was in the process of stranding off their beach, that they didn't take "no" for an answer. With persistence, they talked to someone who gave them my phone number and this allowed Jan and I to connect. When Jan called me, I was teaching a Biology laboratory at Bridgwater State University. While the students were working on the lab, I listened to Jan's story about a sunfish that was stranding, as we spoke, just off her beach. The animal was still in a few inches of water so time was of the essence. Never having met Jan or Harry, I had no idea if they could do what was needed to save this animal. But with a leap of faith, I asked them to push the ocean sunfish back into deep water if they could do so safely. Not many people would have heeded my instructions, for oc...

Date: Sunday, September 11, 2011 Trip Duration: 10 am to 6 pm Boarding Time: 9:30 am Boarding Location: Town Wharf, Plymouth MA Trip Status as of Sunday, September 11, 20 11: Good morning. The trip is a GO! We have a great marine forecast and all is ready for an amazing day of wildlife viewing. Please be down at the Town Wharf ready to board by 9:30 am. It will be wonderful to see you again. Best, Krill Tickets are still available. If you want to join us, go to our Constant Contact Event Website ( click here) and register online. Pay through PayPal on that site or bring a check/cash with you to the boats and give to Krill when boarding. But everyone must register through the website. Ticket Price Update: Tickets are still available so spread the word if you know anyone who may be interested in joining us offshore. Due to power interruptions caused by Hurricane Irene, the ticket price will be frozen at the $90 level. Galley: Our galley will have lots of great food for purchase. B...

First Ocean Sunfish Necropsy of the 2011 Season Conducted at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire On Monday morning, I received a call from Steve Engstrom, Senior Aquarist at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, NH. Steve informed me that a small ocean sunfish had stranded on the shores of the Science Center just the other day. He had heard that NECWA was interested in ocean sunfish sightings and strandings and so had tracked me down. I was very excited to hear about this fish and made arrangements to drive up to Rye the next day and lead a necropsy with the help of the Science Center's staff and volunteers. And Leah, one of our long-term staff members, was going to assist with the necropsy as well. This would be Leah's second ocean sunfish dissection. Her first was last December 5th when we necropsied the largest ocean sunfish we had ever seen. This fish stranded on the shores of Mants Beach in Brewster MA. This recent fish in NH would be a stark contrast to the hu...

Trip Summary Report from our Spring Seabird & Whale Tales Excursion. June 12, 2011 from 8 am to 4 pm Click HERE to read Wayne Petersen's wonderful summary and to view the species list and count. Watch our slide show above of images taken from our June 2011 SAWT trip. Enjoy! Thank you from all of us at NECWA. We had a great time and we hope you did as well. Hope to see you in September for our fall SAWT trip!

An amazing look at two mother and calf pairs that collide with one another as both moms are feeding at the surface. On the 2 pm whale watching trip aboard the Tails of the Sea, a luxury commercial whale watching boat owned and operated by Captain John Boats, we watch in amazement as two humpback mother and calf pairs cross paths right off our bow! Ganesh and her calf are coming towards our boat as they surface feed off the bow. This pair runs smack dab into Venom and her calf who are also feeding at the surface, but off our port side. What a commotion as moms and kids run into one another! But true to form, these humpback mom's keep their cool and keep on truckin! Venom and calf move continue to feed our bow as they head to the north and Ganesh and calf continue to feed as they move off our port side heading to the southeast.

Tagging program uncovers new whale tales in Plymouth

Whale Watch Trip on Saturday, July 30th aboard the Tails of the Sea, a commercial whale watching boat owned and operated by Captain John Whale Watching and Fishing Tours. Entanglement of Rapier's 2009 calf with thin, monofilament line. Posted by Krill Carson We had a beautiful day offshore with clear skies and relatively calm seas. As we crossed over the southern part of Stellwagen Bank, we found a cluster of humpback whales scattered throughout the area. Our first close sighting was a small whale that was a bit active. This whale was rolling on its left side and flicking its tail out of the water. We didn't think much about this active behavior since a number of other whales were breaching sporadically in the area. But when I looked back over my photos, I realized that this whale had monofilament draped over its back. Monofilament is used by rod and reel fishermen offshore as they try to catch striped bass, cod, haddock and other medium-sized fish. It is also used by fisherman...