About Marine Mammals of Maine
Marine Mammals of Maine (MMoME) is dedicated to marine mammal and sea turtle response, rescue, care, research and education.
MMoME was founded in 2011 by Executive Director Lynda Ada Doughty and concerned volunteers to fulfill a gap in need. It is the only organization federally authorized to carry out this work in southern and midcoast Maine.
Prior to 2011, a separate organization, Maine Department of Marine Resources held authorization for stranding response in this area but was no longer able to do so with loss of federal funding, leaving this gap in need.
With a small staff and a dedicated volunteer team, MMoME provides expert stranding response across roughly 2,500 miles of Maine’s coastline (including islands), covering the geographic area of Kittery to Rockland.
Annually, MMoME responds to nearly 300 live and dead marine mammals and sea turtles, making it one of the busiest seal stranding areas on the east coast. We operate a 24/7 marine mammal and sea turtle reporting hotline. Through this hotline, anyone can report a stranded seal, whale, dolphin, porpoise or sea turtle to an experienced, dedicated and compassionate team ready to respond.
MMoME operates a unique triage and rehabilitation center for seals. At our facility we are able to provide short-term care for critical animals before they transition to rehabilitation, either at our facility or at an out of state partner as space allows. In 2022 we became the largest seal rehabilitation facility in the northeast United States by increasing our permit to allow us to care for up to 15 harbor seal pups at once in rehabilitation.
MMoME’s work also heavily encompasses important research to learn about marine mammals, their habitats, and human impacts on their populations.
As charismatic species and sentinels of ocean health, marine mammals represent an effective avenue to garner public attention for conservation, and cultivate environmental stewardship for Maine’s coast.
Our mission further includes extensive education and outreach to Maine’s youth, coastal communities, and tourists. Promoting marine conservation and inspiring marine stewardship is a critical component of our work.
MMoME’s broad scope of critical work is almost entirely supported by private donations. Animal response, data collection, and education are all funded in large part by donations from caring individuals like you. Learn more about the impact of donations in our 2022 Annual Report.
