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Harbor Porpoise, Coolidge Point, Manchester (February 12, 2007)
 We responded to a dead female juvenile harbor porpoise. The carcass was collected and delivered to the New England Aquarium were a necropsy was performed. The necropsy did not reveal any specific causes of death, other than she had a fairly empty stomach and nothing throughout the intestines, indicating that it hadn't been eating for a while. Because of how skinny she was, and the fact that she was a yearling, we would call this case a simple "failure to thrive."
Harp Seal, Rye, NH (February 12, 2007)
 We were asked to kennel and bring to personnel from the University of New England a live male harp seal that had beached himself. Once we arrived we saw that the seal was very lethargic, and he did not react to us picking him up and kenneling him. The animal was admitted to rehab, but had to be euthanized on the same day due to his bad health (frequent seizures, electrolyte imbalance). Reports from the lab samples collected during a necropsy said that he tested positive to morbillivirus (a phocine distemper virus), but results from histology have yet to confirm that.
Harp Seal, Mill Creek, Gloucester (March 8, 2007)
 We succesfully relocated a stranded harp seal that had meandered its way up to a tributary. This healthy animal had been reported downstream earlier the same day, and had passed through a dam and under a bridge to get further upstream to a pretty populated area. It was likely that this animal had become lost, and was unlikely to be able to find his way back out to the open ocean. The seal was relocated to Brace's Cove, where it went straight back to the open sea and swam away.
Grey Seal, Cape Hedge Beach, Rockport (March 29, 2007)
 This was a very young grey seal, likely only 3-4 weeks old, very recently weaned, and still carrying its lanugo fur (the fluffy birth fur that some seals are born with). The animals was monitored for 4 days, and it remained very responsive and alert to our approaches during this period. On the fourth day fur was noticed on the beach around the animal indicating that it had probably come on the beach to molt (shed its pup coat). It went back on the water on April the 1st and it was not re-sighted.
Harbor Seal, Bearskin Neck, Rockport (July 3, 2007)
 We responded to a call about a dead harbor seal in the rocks off of Bear Skin Neck in Rockport. The animal was difficult to get to, but appeared to have line attached so a close look was called for. When we got up close we saw that the line was actually attached to a dead gull that had washed up with the seal. It proved to be one of the most disturbing things we saw this summer. The gulls legs had been tied together and a line run through its bottom bill. The two deaths seemed unrelated.
Grey Seal, Glen Cove, Gloucester (July 7, 2007)
 It seemed to be a rough summer for juvenile gray seals; we found a couple of dead emaciated ones over the course of the summer. We responded to a call about what turned out to be a live juvenile gray seal late one afternoon. The seal was emaciated and lethargic, but it was too late to get it to a facility that day. The next morning the seal was lying flat on its belly with the flippers out to the side; breathing was labored and foam was coming from its nostrils. Before we could collect it for delivery to NEAq the seal died. The body was delivered to NEAq for necropsy.
Risso's Dolphin, Tuck's Point, Manchester (July 10, 2007)
 We received a call about a dead dolphin in Manchester. Former WCNE Stranding Coordinator Kate Sardi went along to check things out. We found a dead Risso's dolphin newborn calf. The Risso's is a rare sight in this area and that alone would have been reason enough to collect the body for a necropsy (animal autopsy) at the New England Aquarium (NEAq), but we quickly found another reason. Risso's are marked with scars and scrapes from contact with other Risso's. This calf had some of these marks but also bore scars of a much more uniform character than one usually finds in nature. These marks may have been the result of a net entanglement.
Harbor Seal pups, Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester (July 18-25, 2007)
 We had many calls in July about harbor seal weaners on Good Harbor Beach, one of Cape Ann's most popular beaches. There are not many things cuter than a harbor seal pup and they attracted a lot of attention. We took the opportunity to educate the crowds and assure them that it's normal for seals to rest on the beach. Harbor seals wean at four to six weeks and while they look helpless to our eyes they are not. In assessing the health of a seal on a beach one thing we look for is posture; a healthy seal will hold head and hind flippers up in what's known as the banana pose. The pups we saw this summer were healthy thriving animals that simply chose the wrong beaches to rest on.
Pilot Whale, Essex River, Ipswich (July 26, 2007)
 We responded to a call about a live whale stranded in the mouth of the Essex River. It was a mature pilot whale in the shallow waters of this tidal river in a spot only accessible by boat. With the help of some very nice and conscientious residents of the area Whale Center and NEAq staff spent the day on the water with this whale. Pilot whales travel in large groups and a lone pilot whale would only come inshore like that if something were wrong. We spent the day keeping boaters at bay and trying to figure out the best thing to do for this whale. The whale ended up dying at some point that night on top of one of the marshy hummocks exposed in the river at low tide. The next day, with the help of the Essex Police Department, we were able to get out there to get measurements of the whale.
Harbor Seal, Hodgkins Cove and Plum Cove, Gloucester (August 8, 2007)
 We responded to a call about a seal pup in distress on a quiet cove in Gloucester. It was a thin harbor seal pup that seemed somewhat lethargic, but not in imminent danger. One eye was sunken and cloudy; since there were no outward signs of trauma we assumed the eye had been like that at birth. After talking with NEAq staff we decided the seal was a good candidate for rehab. When we went to collect it, however, the seal swam away. A few hours later we responded to a call about a seal on another beach a few miles away only to find the same seal. This time we decided to leave him. He was gone the next morning when we went back to check.
Harbor Seal, Masconomo Point, Manchester (Sept. 4, 2007)
 When we responded to this call we found a dead adult harbor seal with blue and orange paint on its side and an injury on the jaw. What we saw indicated possible boat-strike. The animal was delivered to NEAq for a necropsy. The necropsy showed hemorrhaging and broken ribs consistent with boat-strike damage. In addition, there were signs of an old wound and infection that had never properly healed on the other shoulder that may have slowed the animal down and made it harder for it to avoid a ship.
Harbor Seal, Folly Cove, Gloucester (Sept. 24, 2007)
 We came in one morning to an email report of a dead seal on small rocky beach on Gloucester's northern shore. When we got to the beach we found an emaciated adult harbor seal with netting cutting into its neck. At any sign of possible human interaction the animal is collected and delivered to the NEAq. One expects to encounter death when doing stranding work, but it's sad to see something that could have been avoided.
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