Tag: New England

Over half a dozen sharks seen on video near popular Maine beach in two days

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Five sharks swimming over white sandy seabed with sunlight patterns

More than half a dozen white sharks have been spotted close to shore in Scarborough, Maine over a 48-hour period, prompting warnings and increased monitoring near a popular beach. The sightings have generated interest from both beachgoers and biologists. Scarborough Marine Resource Officer Daryen Granata said many of the sharks spotted in the area are juveniles, including one captured on video by a paddleboarder. “Usually we’ll see one or two [sharks] here and there. This is a large volume, larger than I’ve seen, and I’ve worked this area for 30-plus years,” Granata said. “Five to seven, fairly good-sized sharks, probably six to eight feet. And then there were some drone videos of some larger ones. You know, 10-12 feet, but we’re just keeping an eye on it.”

Granata joined biologists on a boat to survey the waters near a popular sandbar at Pine Point Beach where the sharks have been spotted. The area is also frequently used by swimmers and people fishing from the water. “We know it’s a place where people recreationally fish in waist-deep water; they typically swim right there,” Granata said. “They’re right in an intertidal zone. At low tide, it’s exposed. At high tide, there’s 10 feet of water.” “We started flying aircrafts and drones, and making sure that we can keep track. And they’ve been there consistently for the last  48 hours,” Granata added. While it is not rare to see sharks along the New England coast this time of year, some less common sights are becoming more frequent. Like the volume of sharks in Maine and the variety, like the tiger shark, which was reeled in off the coast of Falmouth, Massachusetts, this week. New England Aquarium adjunct scientist John Chisholm, who was with the crew aiming to tag sharks in Scarborough, said warmer water is making the region more hospitable to some sharks.

“[Tiger Sharks] were just coming up here occasionally. Now they’re coming up here reliably year after year because the water temperature is hospitable to them,” Chisholm said. “The waters in New England are warming faster than any other places in the ocean around the world.” “That’s more like numbers we see down when we’re tagging off of the Cape; the numbers were a little surprising,” Chisholm said about the number of sharks seen in Maine. “But it’s definitely not unusual for white sharks to be in this area this time of year. Chisholm said the recent sightings are also a reminder that people entering the ocean are entering a wild environment. “Be aware of your surroundings and prepare before you go to the beach because you’re going into a wilderness area,” Chisholm said. At Pine Point Beach, beachgoer Mark Coleman said sharks are something he keeps in mind while visiting the coast.

“I don’t want to get eaten, but no problem. Sharks are sharks; they’ll stay out there, and I’ll stay here, no worries,” Coleman said. For those who do choose to enter the water, experts recommend avoiding splashing, seals and schools of fish.

Source: Over half a dozen sharks seen on video near popular Maine beach in two days – CBS Boston

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2

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New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital gives hundreds a second chance at survival

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close up of sea turtle in aquarium habitat

The New England Aquarium entertains, educates and even runs a hospital that helps save the lives of sea creatures.   During feeding time inside the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, some turtles eagerly swim to the surface searching for food, while others seem curious about their caretakers.  A few turtles, however, need a little extra help. “Each one of theses turtles is just an amazing story,” said Adam Kennedy, director of the aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital. Many of the young sea turtles recovering in the Quincy-based hospital could one day grow to impressive sizes and live for decades.

If you’ve ever visited the New England Aquarium and seen Myrtle, the famous green sea turtle who has lived there since the 1970s, Kennedy says many of these young patients are essentially seeing their own future. “If you visit the aquarium and you see Myrtle, this was her 80, 90 years ago,” Kennedy said. But first, they have to survive. A growing rescue effort The New England Aquarium opened its Sea Turtle Hospital in 2010. At the time, Kennedy says the facility typically cared for 40 to 50 turtles each year. Today, that number has increased dramatically. “With the warming of the Gulf of Maine, we are now seeing over 400 turtles annually,” Kennedy said. The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest warming bodies of water in the world. As ocean temperatures rise, young sea turtles are increasingly venturing farther north into New England waters during the summer months. The problem comes when fall turns to winter. As water temperatures rapidly cool, many turtles become trapped in Cape Cod Bay. The cold-blooded reptiles can suffer from a condition known as cold stunning, a type of hypothermia that leaves them weak, unable to swim and often near death.

“These turtles should actually be dead from being so cold when they stranded,” Kennedy said. “If this was one of us, we’re not surviving that.” Instead, volunteers search Cape Cod beaches for stranded turtles and bring them to Quincy for treatment. Meet Magneto One of those patients is Magneto, a loggerhead sea turtle in her early teens. Unlike many of the other turtles in the hospital, Magneto can’t eat on her own. Veterinary staff carefully tube-feed her a nutrient-rich mixture designed to help her regain strength and continue fighting infection.

Source: New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital gives hundreds a second chance at survival – CBS Boston

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