Over the past few months, the Mass Department of Public Health, working with the Department of Recreation and Conservation, has deemed dozens of water locations throughout the state closed due to high bacteria levels.
Powerful storm surges, coinciding with the monthly astronomical high tide, are flooding low-lying streets in Portland and other coastal communities.
However, numerous fishermen say the assessment of a decline in the stock doesn't match what they're seeing on the water, where haddock appear to them to be plentiful.
The rate of dead seal strandings in Maine is about three times the normal rate for the summer and is close to 60. Most of the seals that have been stranded this summer have been found dead, NOAA said. The dead seals have included gray seals and harbor seals.
The black substance was staining the feet of people at the beach, prompting one local resident to alert state officials.
Temperatures are expected to remain above 80 degrees for the rest of the week.
Visitors to the waterfront near the New England Aquarium around 12:30 p.m. had to dodge waves slamming over docks and maneuver around water pooling on walkways. Experts say the scene will probably be replayed in the future as sea levels rise.
The Division of Marine Fisheries is analyzing the clams and expects to have preliminary results in the coming days that might point to a cause.
Deaths of gray and harbor seals, in much greater numbers than usual, have been attributed to viruses related to distemper and the flu.
The powerful winter weather storm was slamming into Massachusetts by mid-morning Thursday, bringing blizzard-like conditions in some areas, torrential rain in others, power outages and hurricane-strength winds on Cape Cod and the Islands.
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