PORTLAND, Maine – Seals are thriving off the Northeast coast thanks to decades of protections, and that victory for wildlife has brought a consequence for humans – more encounters with sharks.
Seals are a favorite prey of large sharks such as the great white. The death this week of swimmer Julie Dimperio Holowach, who was killed by a great white off Harpswell, Maine, might have happened because the shark mistook her for a seal, authorities said.
Swimmers off the New England states have learned to be more mindful in recent years because of a spate of sightings of great whites, the apex predator made famous in the movie “Jaws.”
A shark that killed a man off Cape Cod in 2018 was also believed to be a great white.
That was the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts in more than eight decades, while the death of Holowach on Monday was the first documented fatal shark attack in Maine history.
“They're not vindictive or mad or angry or preferring human flesh. They just occasionally make a mistake. And it's tragic when they do,” said Greg Skomal, a shark specialist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
Incidents of shark bites remain vanishingly rare, especially in Northeastern waters. The International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida lists only 10 unprovoked shark attacks off New England, according to records that go back to 1837.
The majority of documented shark attacks in the U.S. happen off Florida.
Shark bites in colder northern waters are not unheard of. And researchers are seeing more of the great whites off New England, said James Sulikowski, a researcher of Northeastern sharks who is located at Arizona State University.
The greater number of sightings is “unequivocally” because of the resurgence of seals in New England, Sulikowski said. The seal comeback traces to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which afforded seals a chance to repopulate after generations of human exploitation.
Grey seals, once hunted with bounties and pushed close to the point of local extinction, are now common in coastal Cape Cod.
Some people even feel the animals have come back to the point where they pose a nuisance, in part because they draw more sharks.
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Thriving seal population lures sharks and trouble | US | Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
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A small group of Sitkans gathered by Zoom teleconference Thursday evening to discuss prospective designs for a new city seal.
The summary of their comments will be presented to the Assembly, which is taking public comments in a variety of ways before deciding which design to choose.
The Zoom discussion was led by Doug Osborne and Planning Director Amy Ainslie.
It was part of the seal redesign project headed by Assembly members Kevin Knox and Steven Eisenbeisz, who say the city should have a symbol that is more culturally appropriate and inclusive. The current design – taken from a 1971 commemorative coin – depicts a cannon atop Castle Hill. The cannon appears to be pointed toward a Tlingit fort, Knox has said.
The new design is to be chosen from seven qualifying ones submitted in a public contest that ended March 30.
The contest rules state that the city can make modifications to the design it chooses – including combining elements of other entries.
Thursday’s discussion was open to all, but only four Sitkans took part.
One of them was Leah Mason, a graphic designer. She said she was interested in a seal that is “timeless.”
“A lot that’s going on here is more appropriate for a logo,” she said in critique of the designs in general. “This isn’t something to bring tourists in.”
Mason favored the designs that layered imagery and pushed for a “more profound nod to Native presence.”
Entry 7 – a seal that depicts the O’Connell Bridge – drew praise from all who took part in the discussion for its inclusion of the words Sheet’ka Kwaan.
Sheet’ka Kwaan is the Tlingit name for Sitka and the surrounding area.
“People have been here a lot longer than (1971) and governing themselves and living in this place,” Mason said. “I think that it would be lovely to build on the local language by referencing the (Tlingit people).”
Mason also voiced concern over Entry 4, which depicts a Tlingit canoe directly in front of a commercial trolling vessel.
“I’ve had a friend say she really didn’t like the relationship of the troller to the canoe,” she said.
She said the relationship of the troller to the canoe could perpetuate the narrative of violence against Native peoples that the redesign is seeking to amend.
Rachel Roy, another member of the Zoom discussion, said she hopes to see Mt. Edgecumbe as a focal point and “Sitka” written in large type.
Roy said that she didn’t think any of the designs were ready for city use as they are.
“We need to be able to reproduce (the seal) in lots of different ways and I think it’s going to require a graphic designer to massage it,” Roy said.
The design will be used on everything from city vehicles to city letterheads, she noted.
Mason agreed that none of the potential seal designs would reproduce easily.
“They’re all really busy,” she said. “The contrast in most of them is not great.”
Another participant in the call – identified only by the name Steve – said he would like Assembly members to consider what the seal will represent.
“Does it represent Sitka today? Does it represent Sitka past? Does it represent Sitka future?” he asked.
Steve said he wants a simple seal.
“I really like the idea of simplicity on a seal or a logo that unfolds a story,” he said.
He liked the use of the O’Connell Bridge, and said the imagery of the bridge connects past to future.
“Maybe the abstract is a little more future oriented,” he said.
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This seals the deal!
Coney Island welcomed its furriest new resident on July 28, when Murphy the harbor seal pup was born at the New York Aquarium to parents Pickles and Coral.
“The pup is doing well and getting used to her surroundings,” said Jon Forrest Dohlin, director of the aquarium. “The latest member of our harbor sea family is a reminder that life goes on at the aquarium regardless of our temporary closure.”
The harbor seal, a common species often spotted along the East and West coasts of North America, isn’t the only aquatic Brooklynite the aquarium has welcomed since its temporary closure. The southern Brooklyn fishtank also welcomed Erie, a California sea lion pup born in October, to the Sea Cliffs habitat in April.
May we offer our suggestion for the new “Seal” of New York City? (Julie Larsen Maher/WCS)
While zoos and botanical gardens have been given the go-ahead to reopen under New York’s fourth phase of reopening, indoor attractions like aquariums and museums have remained shuttered due to the increased risk of contracting coronavirus in enclosed spaces. During its closure, the essential staff at the aquarium have continued to clock in every day to care for its finned residents.
“The essential staff caring for our animals every day should be commended for their hard work and unwavering commitment to the animals during these difficult times,” Dohlin said.
Murphy spends some quality time with mom, Coral. (Julie Larsen Maher/WCS)
The charges against Maxwell came nearly a year after Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan lockup where he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. If convicted, she could face up to 35 years in prison.
Gee said Maxwell only revealed “intimate information about her personal life" in a case brought by one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, because a confidentiality agreement between parties in the case “specifically excluded an exception for law enforcement."
“Had the language not been made an order of the Court, Ms. Maxwell would have proceeded in a different fashion," Gee wrote.
He also told the judge that lawyers in the case may have used the need for depositions to set a “perjury trap” for his client.
The lawyer said the public release of the April and July 2016 depositions should be blocked because they form the basis of criminal perjury charges in the indictment brought against Maxwell. But Preska said he could have made that argument for the last month.
The perjury charges pertain to Maxwell's answers to questions posed by lawyers in the civil case, including whether Epstein had a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages.
Excerpts from seven hours of depositions of Maxwell were made public last year along with over 2,000 pages of documents from the since-settled lawsuit.
“The unsealing of Ms. Maxwell's deposition transcript would result in substantial negative media publicity and speculation in an internet world," Gee wrote. “The public's right of access to Ms. Maxwell's deposition transcript is substantially outweighed by the compelling interest in ensuring her right to a fair trial."
Lawyers for Giuffre and the Miami Herald, which intervened to secure the public release of documents, were sent messages seeking comment.
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Epstein's Ex-girlfriend Tries Late Bid to Seal Testimony - DTN The Progressive Farmer
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The charges against Maxwell came nearly a year after Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan lockup where he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. If convicted, she could face up to 35 years in prison.
Gee said Maxwell only revealed “intimate information about her personal life" in a case brought by one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, because a confidentiality agreement between parties in the case “specifically excluded an exception for law enforcement."
“Had the language not been made an order of the Court, Ms. Maxwell would have proceeded in a different fashion," Gee wrote.
He also told the judge that lawyers in the case may have used the need for depositions to set a “perjury trap” for his client.
The lawyer said the public release of the April and July 2016 depositions should be blocked because they form the basis of criminal perjury charges in the indictment brought against Maxwell. But Preska said he could have made that argument for the last month.
The perjury charges pertain to Maxwell's answers to questions posed by lawyers in the civil case, including whether Epstein had a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages.
Excerpts from seven hours of depositions of Maxwell were made public last year along with over 2,000 pages of documents from the since-settled lawsuit.
“The unsealing of Ms. Maxwell's deposition transcript would result in substantial negative media publicity and speculation in an internet world," Gee wrote. “The public's right of access to Ms. Maxwell's deposition transcript is substantially outweighed by the compelling interest in ensuring her right to a fair trial."
Lawyers for Giuffre and the Miami Herald, which intervened to secure the public release of documents, were sent messages seeking comment.
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Epstein's Ex-girlfriend Tries Late Bid to Seal Testimony - DTN The Progressive Farmer
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(L-R): Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock, Belinda Carlisle, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin perform in 1981. Cassy Cohen/Showtimehide caption
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Cassy Cohen/Showtime
It's called The Go-Go's.
That's it. Just The Go-Go's. The new Showtime documentary about the first all-woman group to write their own songs, play their own instruments and snag a #1 hit doesn't come with a subtitle. That's notable because subtitles, in documentaries, often serve as thesis statements, organizing principles, saying, here is the throughline, the thematic infrastructure, of this film.
The organizing principle, the thematic infrastructure, of director Allison Ellwood's film The Go-Go's is ... The Go-Go's. No colon. Period, full stop.
Fittingly so, as it's as straightforward a music documentary as you're likely to come across. What it offers is a strictly chronological charting of the group's rise, reign and breakup, stopping at every last one of the familiar stations of the Behind The Music cross along the way: formation, youthful ambition, the shedding of early members for new members, discovery, the not-always-entirely-benign influence of managers and record executives, meteoric rise, partying, drugs, rehab, squabbles over money, breakup, reunion(s).
What sets it apart is its surfeit of archival footage highlighting the group's roots in the L.A. punk scene — guitarist Jane Wiedlin addresses the camera, mentioning attending a punk show at the Hollywood club The Masque, for example, and boom, there her younger self is, in grainy black-and-white, leaning on the stage while a group of shirtless mohawked safety-pinned young men thrash and spit and sneer on the stage before her.
This happens again and again — a given group member mentions a specific show, or magazine photo shoot, or trip to Vegas, and immediately we get the highly specific receipts: blurry footage, foggy negatives, or a series of Polaroids showing the five women clowning around in a Vegas hotel room.
In a medium so given to staged reenactments and place-holders (a concert poster in lieu of concert footage, say), the film's determination to show its work is striking. (Which is not to say it completely avoids indulging in certain familiar devices of modern documentary filmmaking, as it does avail itself of brief animated sequences — though these possess a cheesiness that seems knowing and intentional.)
But the main reason The Go-Go's succeeds to the considerable extent it does would seem to have less to do with the narrative technique director Ellwood brings to bear, and more to do with her timing.
In her contemporary interviews with the band members, Ellwood has captured them all at a time of life when they are prepared to look back at their youthful selves with a mixture of generosity and clear-eyed candor. There's a wry and rueful quality to these interviews that has nothing to do with either self-pity or self-aggrandizement — no simmering resentments are aired, but neither is fulsome, disingenuous praise lavished.
Guitarist Charlotte Caffey is as bracingly honest about her love of songwriting as she is about her one-time love of heroin. Drummer Gina Schock is funny, pugnacious and unpretentious. Bass guitarist Kathy Valentine credits "pharmaceutical help" (read: cocaine) with helping her learn the instrument over a four-day jag. Lead singer Belinda Carlisle comes off the most guarded, as you might expect, while acknowledging her younger self's shortcomings. And Wiedlin is Wiedlin — warm, charismatic and deeply savvy.
The distance these women have achieved from the events they describe also means that the emotional pain they dealt each other back then can be expressed, and even freshly felt, while still being placed in context. Original manager Ginger Canzoneri chokes up at the memory of the band replacing her; Wiedlin's refusal to agree that all songwriting royalties should be equally divided still gets her riled up; and harsh words exchanged at the meeting in which the band broke up clearly sting to this day.
If The Go-Go's isn't as groundbreaking as The Go-Go's themselves were, it's a laudably forthright, well-researched and perceptive testament to the power of pop music — and to the passage of time.
The water temperature is about 4 degrees warmer than last summer, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute said. The warmer water might be enticing the predatory fish to the area. Conservation efforts also have helped the marine life populations rebound, wildlife officials said.
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Dead seals wash up on Maine beaches after woman fatally bitten by shark - ActionNewsJax.com
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If you a regular user of social media, you may have come across the videos of animals interacting with other animals. Those are the clips which are not just cute but serve as a source of happiness for many. This video involving a hornbill named Zuberi and the seals perfectly fits the bill. Chances are the video will also leave you saying “aww,” repeatedly.
Oregon Zoo took to Twitter to share this amazing video on their official profile. They tweeted “Zuberi the hornbill went on a seal quest” and shared the clip.
A little-over-a-minute-long video shows the hornbill, rather enthusiastically, entering inside the building of the seal’s enclosure. What follows next is few seconds of pure happiness and joy – at least that’s what Twitter suggests. See the video to know if you feel the same too:
With over 83,000 views and close to 6,400 likes, people couldn’t stop gushing over the amazing video.
“I love that seal poking its head in bottom corner! I love these zoo animal walks!” wrote a Twitter user. We must admit, we love them too!
“The first time I saw one of those in a zoo I was dumbfounded. I’ve always loved birds how come I never knew about them?!?” expressed another.
“All the seals in these videos: “what the fork is that?” wrote a third trying to guess the perspective of the water animals. “This is such a happy video,” commented a fourth.
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Zuberi the hornbill is on a special ‘seal quest’. Seen the video yet? - Hindustan Times
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An unsung benefit of the Donald Trump presidency is how it demands a deeper understanding of American civics and law.
His behaviour has added intrigue to previously ho-hum questions about the U.S. Constitution.
Can a sitting president be indicted?
Can he commit crimes and then pardon himself?
And the latest, prompted by a presidential tweet Thursday: Can the president delay the November election?
Trump tweeted that voting by mail — something many think might be wise during a pandemic — would lead to "the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history."
"Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" he finished.
Then he pinned the tweet so that it remained at the top of his account and wouldn't get lost in the fire hose stream of his other tweets, a clear sign he wants to get people worked up about it.
With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???
Later in the day, during a briefing with reporters, he repeated his unsubstantiated claim that the vote in November "will be the most rigged election in history," and that mail-in voting is an invitation to fraud.
"Everyone knows it. Smart people know it. Stupid people may not know it," he said.
In truth, mail-in voting is available in many states, has been the standard way of voting in Oregon for more than 20 years, and all without the massive fraud Trump alleges.
Mike Babinski opens applications for voter ballots at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland on July 14. More states are embracing mail-in balloting as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in the U.S. (Tony Dejak/The Associated Press)
The election is not going to be delayed. The question of whether it even could be delayed is settled. It was put to constitutional scholars months ago when COVID-19 deaths started rising and support for the president started falling.
The answer was a heavily qualified, technical "yes but no, not really." The president can't reschedule the election. Congress could but only under extraordinary circumstances and for a very brief delay.
The U.S. didn't cancel elections during the Civil War, the pandemic of 1918, or the two world wars. So, as extraordinary and tragic as this moment seems, it has equally serious precedents.
And, besides, Democrats are calling the shots in the House, and the states administer elections. At least one Republican governor was quick to push back against the president.
"Make no mistake: the election will happen in New Hampshire on November 3rd. End of story," tweeted New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.
Must know Election results on the night of the Election, not days, months, or even years later!
If his tweet isn't really serious about an election delay, then the important part is his claim that the election will be the most inaccurate and fraudulent in U.S. history. That's a tell — it suggests he thinks he's going to lose.
He did the same thing before the 2016 election when polls were suggesting Hillary Clinton would be the next president.
WATCH | Sound familiar? Trump also suggested the 2016 election would be rigged:
Donald Trump will determine if election was rigged after voting ends 1:41
The evidence shows that when there is a threat to election integrity and it might benefit Trump, he keeps quiet about it. So does his family.
As Robert Mueller's special counsel report laid out, Trump, his son Donald Jr., his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner all knew the Russian government was offering to help Trump during the 2016 election. The proof is in their own private emails that are now public. The Trumps didn't report the threat to the FBI, or tweet about it, they sat on it or lied about it.
More recently, Trump was impeached in 2019 for misusing the power of his office to try to pressure the president of Ukraine into making damaging statements about Trump's presumed election opponent, former vice-president Joe Biden. He was acquitted by the Republican majority in the Senate.
So Trump is clearly not offended by election shenanigans in principle.
A much different take
The conventional wisdom among many Washington pundits is that Trump is conjuring election fraud in order to seed the ground now for discrediting the result in November. He can then claim the presidency was stolen from him. To what end is uncertain: To challenge the result if it's close, or to save face if it isn't?
"There's a significant chance that Trump doesn't run," Carville said on MSNBC earlier this month, citing what he saw as an impossible path to Trump's re-election. "I think there is a better chance Donald Trump does not run for re-election than he is re-elected."
Sometime FOX Business commentator Charles Gasparino tweeted in late June that his Republican sources were "for the first time raising the possibility that @realDonaldTrump could drop out of the race."
The explanation offered is not simply that Trump hates losing, it's that he has a deep fear of humiliation. Casparino said some Republicans noted Trump's fragile "psyche."
Humiliation and diminishment seem to have scarred Trump at an early age.
In her new book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man, the president's niece, Mary Trump, recounts a scene from Donald's youth. He'd been teasing his older brother Fred, when suddenly Fred turned and dumped a bowl of mashed potatoes on the head of seven-year-old Donald and everyone laughed at him.
This composite photo shows the cover art for Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man, left, and a portrait of author Mary L. Trump. The book, written by the niece of President Donald Trump, is a bestseller. (Simon & Schuster, left, and Peter Serling/Simon & Schuster via AP)
Many decades later, at a big family dinner in the White House, Mary describes an aunt recalling the mashed potatoes story in front of the president:
"We've come a long way since that night when Freddy dumped a bowl of mashed potatoes on Donald's head for being such a brat," [said aunt Maryanne]. Everybody familiar with the legendary mashed potato story laughed — everyone except Donald, who listened with his arms tightly crossed and a scowl on his face, as he did whenever Maryanne mentioned it. It upset him as if he were that seven-year-old boy."
Mary Trump considered the mashed potato story so revealing that she included it in the prologue of her book and then expanded on it in a later chapter as though it were an emblem of the president's life — like the sled in the movie Citizen Kane.
The idea that Trump would be so driven to avoid humiliation that he'd conjure the inevitability of election fraud as an excuse to quit the presidency and avoid defeat sounds too far-fetched to take seriously. But not long ago, the whole idea of his presidency sounded that way.
And if that is what he's preparing to do, this is exactly how it would look.
Charges will not be laid against a Texan sport fisherman who snatched a baby seal from a marina in Port McNeill, despite the fact that disturbing a marine mammal is a federal crime, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).
Since this story became public, locals have been irate to hear of an American fisherman in Canadian waters. But according to Marine Mammal Rescue Centre staff, the individual has dual citizenship with Canada and was legally permitted to be here.
The DFO has opted to focus on public education rather than formal charges, hoping to prevent similar situations from occuring.
“Should you encounter a lone seal pup, please keep your distance and do not attempt to remove the seal as it may not need rescuing and your actions can endanger its life,” writes the DFO in an educational bulletin.
Seals spend up to a third of their life on land, so sighting a lone pup is not cause for alarm.
“The mothers may simply be out foraging, or frightened away by human presence and will shortly return to reclaim and tend to their pup.”
The seal pup was young enough that its umbilical cord was still visible. It had been lying on a log beside the Port McNeill marina in mid-July for a few days. Locals were observing the pup and knew the mother was nearby.
“It definitely was healthy. It had no neck, like, it was chunky,” said one local who asked to remain unnamed. People had been taking pictures of the seal, but were keeping a safe distance.
“Then this Texan rolled in there and knew better than everyone else. People were telling him, ‘Don’t take it, don’t touch it.’ But he took it, leapt onto his boat and left,” said Port McNeill local Jeff Aoki.
Initially, the boater resisted offers of help from the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, according to manager Lindsaye Akhurst. He was intermittently available that afternoon, either in and out of cell service, or hiding as some locals suggested.
“Our conversation wasn’t as positive as it could have been,” Akhurst said.
It was hard to get a clear answer from him about where he was and where he was heading. The next morning she called again and he agreed to deliver the pup to waiting volunteers in Campbell River. Akhurst never mentioned the fact that his actions were a possible federal offence, “just in case he changed his mind.”
The pup is now in care in Vancouver and is doing well.
“Unfortunately he’s an orphan now. To us it’s appalling. This is our backyard, you just don’t do that,” Aoki said.
It’s one of the craziest incidents Akhurst has worked on, but not unique. She’s had people call in after having a seal in their bathtub for two days. They call because the seal isn’t eating and they’re getting nervous. Colleagues have had people put seal pups in backpacks and hike along beach trails with them. They seem to have good, but blatantly uninformed intentions.
The bottom line is: don’t touch wild animals. If something really seems wrong, call the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre at 604-258-7325 or the Department of Fisheries and Oceans hotline at 1-800-465-4336.
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DFO will not lay charges against Texan who snatched baby seal in Port McNeill - Agassiz-Harrison Observer
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(PORTLAND, Maine) — Seals are thriving off the Northeast coast thanks to decades of protections, and that victory for wildlife has brought a consequence for humans — more encounters with sharks.
Seals are a favorite prey of large sharks such as the great white. The death this week of swimmer Julie Dimperio Holowach, who was killed by a great white off Harpswell, Maine, might have happened because the shark mistook her for a seal, authorities said.
Swimmers off the New England states have learned to be more mindful in recent years due to a spate of sightings of great whites, the apex predator made famous in the movie “Jaws.” A shark that killed a man off Cape Cod in 2018 was also believed to be a great white.
That was the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts in more than eight decades, while the death of Holowach on Monday was the first documented fatal shark attack in Maine history.
“They’re not vindictive or mad or angry or preferring human flesh. They just occasionally make a mistake. And it’s tragic when they do,” said Greg Skomal, a shark specialist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. “As we restore top predators, the potential for these interactions could increase.”
Incidents of shark bites remain vanishingly rare, especially in Northeastern waters. The International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida lists only 10 unprovoked shark attacks off New England, according to records that go back to 1837.
The majority of documented shark attacks in the U.S. happen off Florida, and internationally, warm weather countries such as South Africa and Australia have higher totals than most. But shark bites are rare in those places, too. Australia has been the site of 652 unprovoked shark attacks according to records that go back to 1580, the International Shark Attack File reported.
Shark bites in colder northern waters are not unheard of. A handful have been recorded off Russia, Finland and Washington state. And researchers are seeing more of the great whites off New England, said James Sulikowski, a researcher of Northeastern sharks who is located at Arizona State University.
The greater number of sightings is “unequivocally” because of the resurgence of seals in New England, Sulikowski said. The seal comeback traces to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which afforded seals a chance to repopulate after generations of human exploitation.
Grey seals, once hunted with bounties and pushed close to the point of local extinction, are now common sights in coastal Cape Cod. Some people even feel the animals have come back to the point where they pose a nuisance, in part because they draw more sharks.
The sharks aren’t looking for people, but they’re a reason for swimmers to be cautious, Sulikowski said.
“They’re not looking for us. We’re not on the menu,” he said. “But as these predator prey relationships continue, and because they are so coastal, there’s potential for interaction with humans to increase.”
In Maine, marine patrol officers are conducting searches for the presence of sharks in the aftermath of Holowach’s death. The state is restricting swimming at some state parks. And it has sent a clear message to beachgoers — if you see seals, stay away.
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'They're Not Looking for Us.' Experts Say Sharks Might Mistake Humans for Seals When They Attack - TIME
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Dead seals with giant bite marks are washing up along Maine shores in wake of the deadly great white shark attack that claimed the life of a New York retiree, according to reports.
A 5-foot long seal with an 18-inch bite wound washed ashore Tuesday in Cundys Harbor — next door to Bailey Island where Julie Dimperio Holowach was mauled to death by a shark Monday, CBS News 13 reported.
Researchers believe the seal suffered injuries from a shark bite.
On Tuesday, another dead seal washed up in Phippsburg with bite marks — while other seals were spotted swimming near the shore, the outlet reported.
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute blamed the recent increase in shark sightings in the area on laws that protect the sea predators and marine mammals, like seals.
“A more likely explanation for the recent increase in white shark sightings along the Maine coast is that both the white sharks and their main prey (seals) are protected and have been for quite some time,” the institute said.
Officials believe the shark that fatally attacked Holowoch while she was swimming likely mistook her for a seal –because she was wearing a black wetsuit at the time.
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Dead seals with bite marks washing up in Maine after deadly shark attack - New York Post
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Dead seals with bite marks are reportedly washing up on Maine beaches after a woman was killed by a great white shark earlier this week, the first confirmed fatal shark attack in the state's history. Experts say that the increase in shark sightings along the Maine coast is partially due to a thriving seal population in the area.
CBS affiliate WGME-TV reports that a family found a seal washed up on the shore in Cundys Harbor with an 18-inch bite mark. Another dead seal was found in Phippsburg. Other residents told the station that they have seen more dead seals with similar bites this week.
The family found the seal around 3 p.m. yesterday and immediately reported it to the Dept of Marine Resources. They examined the seal this morning.
The family says the seal was 5ft long and the bite was 18in wide. @WGME@FOX23Maine
"So it looks like there's some kind of a totally psycho shark out there," beachgoer Sari Schorr told WGME. "The water is so warm here, unusually warm, which might be causing this migration closer to shore for the seals and therefore the sharks."
A great white shark killed Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, of New York City, the Maine Department of Marine Resources said Tuesday. The shark fatally bit Holowach off Bailey Island on Monday while she was swimming.
Kipling President Julie Dimperio Holowach attends Kipling's 25th Anniversary celebration at Helen Mills Event Space on March 7, 2012, in New York City.Dario Cantatore / Getty Images
Scientists were able to later identify the shark as a great white using a tooth fragment, state officials said. Great whites aren't common in Maine, which is the northern tip of their range, but recent summers have brought reports of sightings of the giant fish.
On Wednesday, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute said the "likely explanation for the recent increase in white shark sightings along the Maine coast is that both the white sharks and their main prey (seals) are protected and have been for quite some time."
The Maine Marine Patrol said a witness saw Holowach swimming off the shore of Bailey Island when she was bitten. Two kayakers helped her get to shore and an ambulance provided further assistance, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, the marine patrol said.
There had previously only been one recorded unprovoked shark attack in Maine, and it was 10 years ago off Eastport, Maine Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher said. He said that bite involved a different species of shark.
He described the Monday attack as "highly unusual," but added it's cause for vigilance among beachgoers.
"The rarity of this event does not mean it's not going to happen again," Keliher said.
The Marine Patrol has urged swimmers and boaters to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals. Large sharks like great whites prey on seals, which are common off Maine. Two coastal state parks, Popham and Reid, are not allowing swimmers beyond waist deep water, state officials said.
A sign announces that swimming is restricted to waist deep wading, after Julie Dimperio Holowach likely died instantaneously when bitten by a shark off Bailey Island, at Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, on July 29, 2020.BRIAN SNYDER / REUTERS
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Seals are thriving off the Northeast coast thanks to decades of protections, and that victory for wildlife has brought a consequence for humans: more encounters with sharks.
Seals are a favorite prey of large sharks such as the great white. The death this week of swimmer Julie Dimperio Holowach, who was killed by a great white off Harpswell, Maine, might have happened because the shark mistook her for a seal, authorities said.
Swimmers off the New England states have learned to be more mindful in recent years due to a spate of sightings of great whites, the apex predator made famous in the movie Jaws. A shark that killed a man off Cape Cod in 2018 was also believed to be a great white.
That was the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts in more than eight decades, while the death of Holowach on Monday was the first documented fatal shark attack in Maine history.
"They're not vindictive or mad or angry or preferring human flesh. They just occasionally make a mistake. And it's tragic when they do," said Greg Skomal, a shark specialist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. "As we restore top predators, the potential for these interactions could increase."
Incidents of shark bites remain vanishingly rare, especially in Northeastern waters. The International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida lists only ten unprovoked shark attacks off New England, according to records that go back to 1837.
The majority of documented shark attacks in the U.S. happen off Florida, and internationally, warm weather countries such as South Africa and Australia have higher totals than most. But shark bites are rare in those places, too. Australia has been the site of 652 unprovoked shark attacks according to records that go back to 1580, the International Shark Attack File reported.
But shark bites in colder northern waters are not unheard of. A handful of shark bites have been recorded off Russia, Finland and Washington state. And researchers are seeing more of the great whites off New England, said James Sulikowski, a researcher of Northeastern sharks located at Arizona State University.
The greater number of sightings is "unequivocally" because of the resurgence of seals in New England, Sulikowski said. The seal comeback traces to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which afforded seals a chance to repopulate after generations of human oppression.
Grey seals, once hunted with bounties and pushed close to the point of local extinction, are now common sights in coastal Cape Cod. Some people even feel the animals have come back to the point where they pose a nuisance, in part because they draw more sharks.
The sharks aren't looking for people, but they're a reason for swimmers to be cautious, Sulikowski said.
"They're not looking for us. We're not on the menu," he said. "But as these predator prey relationships continue, and because they are so coastal, there's potential for interaction with humans to increase."
In Maine, marine patrol officers are conducting searches for the presence of sharks in the aftermath of Holowach's death. And they've sent a clear message to beachgoers — if you see seals, stay away.
The lice that live on elephant seals can survive the pressures of the deep sea
Paul Souders / Getty Images
Seal lice – blood-sucking marine insects that live on seals, sea lions and walruses – can survive the crush of the deep ocean, withstanding the equivalent of pressures found 2000 meters deep for several minutes.
Seal lice (Lepidophthirus macrorhini) live out their entire lifecycle on their marine hosts, and previous research has shown that these insects survive being submerged in seawater for days by entering an immobile, low metabolism state to withstand the frigid cold, high salinity, and lack of oxygen.
Dead seals with bite marks are reportedly washing up on Maine beaches after a woman was killed by a great white shark earlier this week, the first confirmed fatal shark attack in the state's history. Experts say that the increase in shark sightings along the Maine coast is partially due to a thriving seal population in the area.
CBS affiliate WGME-TV reports that a family found a seal washed up on the shore in Cundys Harbor with an 18-inch bite mark. Another dead seal was found in Phippsburg. Other residents told the station that they have seen more dead seals with similar bites this week.
The family found the seal around 3 p.m. yesterday and immediately reported it to the Dept of Marine Resources. They examined the seal this morning.
The family says the seal was 5ft long and the bite was 18in wide. @WGME@FOX23Maine
"So it looks like there's some kind of a totally psycho shark out there," beachgoer Sari Schorr told WGME. "The water is so warm here, unusually warm, which might be causing this migration closer to shore for the seals and therefore the sharks."
A great white shark killed Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, of New York City, the Maine Department of Marine Resources said Tuesday. The shark fatally bit Holowach off Bailey Island on Monday while she was swimming.
Kipling President Julie Dimperio Holowach attends Kipling's 25th Anniversary celebration at Helen Mills Event Space on March 7, 2012 in New York City.Dario Cantatore / Getty Images
Scientists were able to later identify the shark as a great white using a tooth fragment, state officials said. Great whites aren't common in Maine, which is the northern tip of their range, but recent summers have brought reports of sightings of the giant fish.
On Wednesday, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute said the "likely explanation for the recent increase in white shark sightings along the Maine coast is that both the white sharks and their main prey (seals) are protected and have been for quite some time."
The Maine Marine Patrol said a witness saw Holowach swimming off the shore of Bailey Island when she was bitten. Two kayakers helped her get to shore and an ambulance provided further assistance, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, the marine patrol said.
There had previously only been one recorded unprovoked shark attack in Maine, and it was 10 years ago off Eastport, Maine Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher said. He said that bite involved a different species of shark.
He described the Monday attack as "highly unusual," but added it's cause for vigilance among beachgoers.
"The rarity of this event does not mean it's not going to happen again," Keliher said.
The Marine Patrol has urged swimmers and boaters to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals. Large sharks like great whites prey on seals, which are common off Maine. Two coastal state parks, Popham and Reid, are not allowing swimmers beyond waist deep water, state officials said.
A sign announces that swimming is restricted to waist deep wading, after Julie Dimperio Holowach likely died instantaneously when bitten by a shark off Bailey Island, at Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, U.S., July 29, 2020.BRIAN SNYDER / REUTERS
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Dead seals with bite barks are washing up on Maine beaches after woman killed by shark - CBS News
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