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Our amazing Team Mola has interacted with over 150 ocean sunfish in the 2024/2025 season!
Our research and rescue seasons prove eventful, as we work with ocean sunfish or Mola Mola of all sizes. Ocean sunfish swim on their side near the water’s surface. Their dorsal fin creates ripples in the water as it flops up and down, distinguishing them from the basking shark. Learn more about our efforts on our Ocean Sunfish page.
NECWA has stepped in as difficult interactions between the community and native wildlife arise since 2016. The Southcoast Terrapin Project protected 135 terrapin nests and released 1,500 terrapin hatchlings in the 2024 season.
Our mainland team fenced off 3,000 ft to prevent nesting females from crossing a bridge which would endanger them and their hatchlings. Plus we have extended our efforts and assisted other stranding programs. Read all about our projects on our Southcoast Terrapin Project page.
We have a life sized inflatable humpback whale!!!
NECWA strongly believes that educational outreach is an important piece of species conservation and management. NECWA provides meaningful and engaging educational programs for schools, organizations, and the public in an effort to help people better understand and connect to the unique marine wildlife that lives off the coast of New England. We customize our programs to create engaging classroom and community events for learners and nature enthusiasts of all ages. Whenever possible, we incorporate our research findings into our programs to support the learning experience. To learn more, visit our Marine Education Presentations page.
NECWA sponsors a number of community-sighting networks asking people to report their sightings of basking sharks, ocean sunfish and diamondback terrapins that they see from a boat or from a beach. Click on the links below to report your sighting and add your observations to our long-term sighting database. This information is helping biologists and scientists better understand and protect the unique coastal marine wildlife that lives off the shores of New England.
Use this form to submit your sighting of a live or dead Ocean Sunfish that you saw from boat or shore.
REPORT SIGHTING
Use this form to submit your sighting of a live or dead Torpedo Ray that you saw from boat or shore.
REPORT SIGHTING
Use this form to submit your sighting of a live or dead Basking Shark that you saw from boat or shore.
REPORT SIGHTING
Use this form to submit your sighting of a dead Gray Triggerfish that you saw on a beach.
REPORT SIGHTING
Use this form to submit your sighting of a live or dead Thresher Shark that you saw from boat or shore.
REPORT SIGHTING
Use this form to submit your sighting of a live or dead Diamondback Terrapin that you saw from boat or shore.
REPORT SIGHTINGMarine wildlife occasionally strand along the shores of New England, including bays, rivers and tidal marshes. If the stranded animal is alive, it is important to get experienced personnel on site as soon as possible. If the stranded animal is dead, then various organizations will want to examine the carcass to support their research and management efforts. Use the button below to report sightings of other animals not listed above.
