NECWA News Blog

The issue of environmental crime can take place anywhere at anytime. Luckily, there are people out there who help stop such crimes from happening and reverse any potential damage that may have been caused. Or, to keep the issue from getting any worse, they are actively involved in preventative measures as well as educational outreach for the general public. One agency in particular recently got involved in a smuggling event regarding an airport in the Philippines that led them to discover suitcases filled with live exotic animals. Photo from   https://www.kjrh.com/news/national/more-than-1-500-live-turtles-found-duct-taped-and-stuffed-in-suitcases?fbclid=IwAR2qox8aWrhrYKErNnpUEWgdwZpVg_TFCXVYWHDzMiQOXTkqcOC5RP00s8s\ The officers of the Bureau of Customs in the Philippines recovered a number of suitcases that were hastily abandoned at  Manila's Ninoy Aquino  Airport. These suitcases,  which had been smuggled onto a flight from Hong Kong, held more than 1,50...

NECWA held their Seascape Window Fundraiser last night at the Blue Anchor Studio in Middleboro. Owner and artist Robyn Iarrobino lead the group through a fun and creative process. I think you will agree that the results were amazing! So many unique and beautiful creations came out through the process of making these Seascape designs.  Thank you everyone for coming last night and supporting the work that NECWA does. The money raised from this event will be used to purchase new field equipment for our Southcoast Terrapin Project.  Click on this link to see more photos from this fun evening. https://photos.app.goo.gl/zDJdGvqEk5vB2QT46

Last Friday, Krill and two NECWA interns, Hayley from Bridgewater State University and Kari from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, were invited to Raynham’s Public Library to participate in “Shark Week” events. The program took place during February school vacation, which was well attended by families, including kindergarten and elementary school aged kids, interested in the talk! Couple of shark lovers! To start off the program, Krill gave a lively presentation about various sharks found along our New England coasts, including great whites, thresher sharks, blue sharks, mako sharks, dusky sharks, and sand sharks. Next, Krill explained NECWA’s community sighting network for basking sharks and ocean sunfish ( www.nebshark.org ) explaining their anatomy, what they eat and how they function in the water, as well as their interesting social behaviors. Using a shark stuffed animal, the kids were actively involved in learning the different body parts of the shark, including ...

Hayley Pollard collecting data.  This past Saturday,  January 12 th,  marked the first day of sea turtle necropsies that will be conducted throughout the spring down at the Necropsy Facility that is part of the Marine Mammal Center, WHOI. The carcasses that were examine had been collected from Cape Cod beaches this fall and early winter. During each necropsy, a variety of research activities is conducted in order to learn more about the cold-stunned sea turtles that had become trapped inside Cape Cod Bay this fall but were not able to navigate their way out.  Volunteers from many different government and non-government organizations in New England helped to gather data, tissue samples and other information on the 3 species of endangered sea turtles that were examined. The 3 species included the Atlantic Kemp's ridley sea turtle, the green turtle and the loggerhead sea turtle. Each spring, this work is lead by Bob Prescott, Director of Mass Audubon at Wellfle...

Want to know a great thing about human beings? I believe it is fair to say, that most people who see another person or animal suffering feel inclined not only to sympathy, but also to action. There was a video recently which went viral because it tugged at the heartstrings. This video was of a sea turtle with a foreign object lodged in its nose. This object turned out to be a 4 inch plastic straw. A team of scientists found this sea turtle while doing research in the field and removed the plastic from the animal’s nose. Plastic, although sometimes useful, can be detrimental to marine wildlife, and the environment as a whole. Photo taken from National Geographic Plastic, although a seemingly affordable resource in manufacturing, has many long-term and detrimental consequences. Plastic does not ever fully go away. Even when being made smaller through bio or photo-degradation, there are many factors that affect and inhibit upon these natural and chemical processes....

Researcher Aimee Carlson presenting on recent ocean sunfish tagging activities. What does it mean to be a member of Team Mola? On a small scale, it means working with friends and neighbors on a community-based project focused on the heaviest bony fish in the world - the Ocean Sunfish. The mission of this team is to better understand and protect Ocean Sunfish, or Mola mola , that live and feed off the shores of New England.  Fisheries Biologist Aimee Carlson On Saturday, September 20th, the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) in collaboration with Coonamessett Farm Foundation and Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary hosted their first Team Mola training session at the Mass Audubon sanctuary in Wellfleet, MA. The goal of Team Mola is to build a network of volunteers that can assist NECWA with rescues and necropsies of ocean sunfish strandings. These strandings are annual event that occur each fall and early winter, typically along the shores of Cape Cod.  Ma...

Ocean Exploration Cruise - NECWA Fall Fundraiser Sunday, September 30, 2018 7 am to 1 pm Privateer IV, 7 Seas Whale Watch Marine Forecast Links: National Weather Service Stellwagen Bank - click   HERE O ffshore Buoy Data - Boston - click HERE UPDATE - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH - for those who have registered for this trip. NECWA News Blog Updates.  Check the NECWA News blog for any changes or updates to our trip.  Right now, seas are looking a bit rough offshore so take your motion sickness pills in advance. Eat a light breakfast and stay away from greasy foods. We will have Saltines and Ginger Ale onboard if you need it.  Guest Naturalists for tomorrow . We are very excited about this Ocean Exploration Cruise as we will have amazing guest naturalists onboard the boat and on the microphone. Guest naturalists will include Wayne Petersen, Jim Sweeney, Thomas Robben and Adrian Jordaan.  Captain Jay onboard.  Tomorrow our captain wil...

Marine debris is causing high levels of contamination in our world’s oceans. Its presence in the once pristine waters that are home to all aquatic species accounts for a high number of marine wildlife deaths on a global scale. Plastic is the primary environmental pollutant in our waters and it makes up approximately 80% of all of the debris that is creating the critical habitat crisis of Marine Debris. We have an infinite variety of uses for plastics in our society, everything from children’s toys and necessary medical equipment that keeps people alive and healthy, to plastic drinking straws and fleece jackets. Until technology catches up with our need to find alternatives to our current uses of plastics, we are essentially in a position to find plastics present in our lives somewhere even if our goal is to live a “zero plastic” lifestyle. A major issue with all of the currently indispensable plastic items in our lives is that plastic is a petroleum-based material and, once...

Ocean Exploration Cruise Sunday, June 3, 2018 7 am to 1 pm Onboard the Privateer IV with 7 Seas Whale Watch 7 Rogers Street, Gloucester ====================================================================== Date of this Posting: Saturday, June 2, 2018 Status of Trip on June 3: A GO ! Hi: I was just offshore today and winds were calmer than predicted with almost no seas offshore. Our trip tomorrow at 7 am continues to be a go. I assume winds will increase over the course of the night and early morning, so we expect to sneak this trip in before it gets nasty offshore. The marine forecast for Monday through Thursday is not good so this may be the last trip offshore for a few days.  Please be down at the 7 Seas Whale Watch dock at 6:30 am and we will board as soon as we can. Bring food, drinks, and dress appropriately. Keep your belongings to a  minimum  so everyone will have space. NECWA will bring some merchandise onboard to help raise funds for our projec...