As the crow flies, Maine’s coastline is just 228 miles from end to end. Driving up the coast from Kittery to Lubec is a scenic all-day drive. The entire coastline of coves, harbors, islands, etc. stretches 3,478 miles. The coast is what draws many, if not most, visitors to Maine, especially during the summer months. Acadia National Park is the primary destination for visitors, with more than 4 million recreational visits annually. While Acadia is a beautiful destination, traveling only to Acadia and back means missing out on much beautiful scenery and many tremendous opportunities to view Maine’s abundant fish and wildlife.
Maine’s coastal wildlife ranges from tiny puffins to massive whales. Maine’s abundant wildlife is the basis for a wildlife-related ecotourism industry that drives more than a billion dollars in economic activity annually.
Maine is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Birds of prey such as ospreys and bald eagles nest throughout Maine wherever there is water. The Kennebec River drainage is a particular hot spot for both species since the river and its tributary waters have been cleaned up and spring runs of river herring have been restored. Both species of birds have made dramatic comebacks since the late 1960s, when their populations were decimated due to pesticides, which caused thin shells and breakage of eggs before hatching. The peregrine falcon, a bird that preys on other flying birds and which had disappeared east of the Mississippi, now nests in places such as Acadia National Park thanks to the banning of harmful pesticides and concerted efforts to release (hack) young birds into the wild. During the spring, Acadia even closes certain hiking trails while peregrines nest.
Some thirty-eight species of shorebirds breed or travel through Maine. Many depend on Maine’s coast for resting and feeding during their annual spring and fall migrations. For others such as the federally endangered piping plover, Maine provides a hugely important habitat for hatching and raising young. Piping plovers nest on Maine beaches and rely on humans to protect them from other humans who might deliberately or mistakenly destroy the nests, which are no more than shallow depressions in the sand. Maine’s nesting piping plovers have been increasing in number recently thanks to efforts to educate the public and to protect nests from natural predators.
Thirteen species of seabirds such as Atlantic puffins and common terns nest on islands off the Maine coast. Puffins are nicknamed “sea parrots” or “clowns of the sea.” By the early 20th century, human predation had virtually eliminated nesting puffins along the Maine coast, with only a single pair remaining. In the 1960s efforts began to return puffins to Maine. Today a total of some 1,500 puffin pairs nest from May to August on six different Maine islands. There are several puffin tours that sail out of coastal towns, including Boothbay Harbor, New Harbor, Rockland, Port Clyde, Bar Harbor, Milbridge, Cutler, and Jonesport, with the best viewing during June and July. Maine is at the southern end of the puffin range, and for this reason our puffins are very susceptible to warming oceans due to climate change. Warmer waters mean changing fish species, and overharvesting by humans means less food, which can lead to mass starvation among chicks.
During the winter months, you can see rafts of common eiders and much smaller numbers of endangered harlequin ducks along the Maine coast. The East Coast harlequin ducks number less than 1,000 and continue to decline. They breed in maritime Canada, primarily in boreal forests alongside fast-moving rivers and streams. Some winter along the Maine coast. Their primary threats in Maine are hunters who misidentify them.
Maine’s coast and offshore waters host many marine mammals, all of which the Marine Mammal Protection Act protects. The more common mammals include the harbor seal, gray seal, harbor porpoise, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, humpback whale, and minke whale. Protection of marine mammals has resulted in greatly increased numbers of harbor seals and a range extension of gray seals. Male gray seals can grow up to ten feet in length and weigh up to 900 pounds.
Whale-watching boat trips are very popular, with no less than six different businesses spread out along the coast. The northern right whale spends part of its life cycle in the Gulf of Maine. You will be very lucky if you see one because they are critically endangered and fewer than 400 survive. They travel up and down the coast from Florida to Atlantic Canada depending on the season. The major cause of right whale mortality is fishing rope entanglement. Maine’s lobstering industry has steadfastly refused to cooperate with efforts by the federal government to give right whales increased protections from entanglements. While having a lobster roll is a must for many tourists coming to Maine, they might want to think twice about the potential cost of that lobster roll and Maine’s lobstering industry to the critically endangered right whale.
We Mainers treasure our fish and wildlife and realize how lucky we are. We’re happy to welcome millions of ecotourists who come to enjoy our beautiful environment and abundant wildlife. We only ask that you do so in a safe and respectful manner. Maine has millions of acres of forest and thousands of miles of coastline. Our fish and wildlife resources are unmatched anywhere in the northeast. We want to keep them this way, and we want to keep sharing them with you. Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints.
