Top 10 Highlights of 2023

As we wrap up 2023 we want to share and celebrate with you some of our top milestones of the past year. Thanks for being a part of our community and making all these possible.

Down East Magazine and Maine Public’s new Borealis program both took a deep dive into life during the hectic harbor seal pup season. More people were able to learn about seals thanks to this coverage!

Dexxy, the seal found wandering by a plow truck driver during a winter storm early in the year captured national attention with his wayward travels. After receiving life-saving care at our center, Dexxy and his pool mate Sunshine returned to the ocean on March 16th.

We responded to a deceased leatherback sea turtle, which measured over 5 ft. in length. This offered a rare opportunity to collect critical data from this endangered species.
	Our first harbor seal pup patient of the year, #39, was admitted on April 19th due to human interference. After receiving care he returned back to the ocean on August 2, the first time we’ve released harbor seal pups that early in the year. Pup #39 was one of many to be admitted in need of care due to harmful human interaction.
We offered or participated in over 42 educational and outreach events, reaching thousands of people from near and far and inspiring the next generation of ocean stewards.	We completed 22 full necropsies and sampled 81 unique animal cases. These activities help illuminate causes of death, diseases, and other stressors impacting marine mammals, their populations, and their habitat.
We collaborated on several research projects, including providing diagnostic samples to the University of Maine to aid in understanding seal susceptibility to viral disease outbreaks. The more we learn about marine mammals, the more evident it becomes how active, sensitive, and critical the waters off of southern and midcoast Maine are to marine life…and how much more we have to learn!

We received samples from rare whale species that stranded in our response area in 2020, some of which represent the first time these species’ have been documented in Maine. Soon, some of these specimens will become part of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s collection.

All of these accomplishments, and many more, are made possible thanks to you– our community of volunteers and supporters!