According to the Portland Press Herald, the shark attack victim from Bailey Island has been identified as Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, of New York City.

Holowach is the first shark attack victim to die in Maine and the second unprovoked shark attack in the state since 2010 when there was an incident involving a scuba diver in Eastport, the newspaper stated.

James Sulikowski, a former University of New England professor involved in shark research, told the Portland Press Herald:

“This is the first documented fatality ever in Maine... shark interactions with humans are very rare in Maine. My guess is that the person was mistaken for a food item.”

The Maine’s Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Holowach was attacked by a great white shark, according to the newspaper.

Julie Dimperio Holowach Facebook
Julie Dimperio Holowach Facebook
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The incident was reported to the Coast Guard by two kayakers who helped two women to shore, Holowach and her daughter, who has recently been identified as such.

The Maine Marine patrols are warning people in the area to avoid schools of fish or seals as they can attract sharks who see them as food, according to the Portland Press Herald.

According to a study by the University of Miami, climate change is redirecting the pattern in which sharks are migrating, which may explain what a great white is doing this far north.

That all being said, let us, as Mainers take this as a lesson and become more vigilant as we continue to absorb all of nature has God has given us. On land or by sea, there are predators around us that can put us in a compromising situation.

Please do not take our backdrop of peaceful nature for granted.

 

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