This winter’s late arrival of snow has been problematic for some of our seasonal visitors. Ice seals rely on snow and ice for hydration, getting more of their fluid intake from these substrates. In times of little to no snow or ice, MMoME tends to document higher numbers of dehydration cases, and since ice seal season began, MMoME has responded to seven harp and gray seals and 13 strandings overall. Read more about ice seals and our current rehab patients here—and watch some footage of patient 007 enjoying the snow as he receives treatment!

This winter, we continued our collaboration with our friends at Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) in New York and teamed up for the first time with New Hampshire’s Seacoast Science Center Marine Mammal Rescue (SSC) to learn more about the post-release lives of rehabilitated seals. Click through to read about the collaboration and to view a map of where our most recently tagged seals traveled in just two weeks’ time!

So far this year, four harbor seal pups have been released back to the wild after rehabilitation at our center! All four were rescued as abandoned pups in need of nurturing and treatment to survive. During their three months in our care, they healed from injuries; overcame umbilical, respiratory, ear, and wound infections; were weaned…Continue Reading

This time of year is usually slower in the field, and our center is usually empty in November and December—but this year we have one special case! Meet patient #328, our stranding team’s 328th response of 2020. A harbor seal reported to our hotline last month in Cape Elizabeth, our response team found her emaciated,…Continue Reading

While MMoME is best known for stranding response and rehabilitation, our mission also encompasses a critical, lesser-known form of marine conservation: research. There are still a lot of unknowns about marine mammal species in the Gulf of Maine and the habitat on which they—and humans—depend. MMoME is committed to filling some of those data gaps,…Continue Reading

Two weeks ago the Harpswell, Maine, community experienced a horrific tragedy when a woman was fatally bitten by a shark while swimming close to shore. In the aftermath of such a tragedy, we must all remember that the media and other non-experts talking about this event often spread misinformation. While no facts should downplay the gravity of this incident, it is important to source information from reputable experts.

As we prepared to move to our new space in Brunswick earlier this year, we were unaware of just how critical our larger facility would prove to be. We were already (literally) moving quickly in the lull between busy stranding seasons, but we couldn’t have known Mystic Aquarium was soon to announce the termination of their seal rescue and rehab program. Click through to learn how MMoME responded.

In case you missed the news, MMoME has received calls about two beaked whales on the Maine Coast in the last month, only the 3rd and 4th documented in MMoME’s response region in the last 20 years! Usually found in deep waters offshore and rarely sighted, very little is known about the 22 species of beaked whales. With help from specialists around the world, the two species were determined to be Blainsville and Sowerby’s beaked whales. Read more about the cases and watch local news coverage here.