PATRICK WHITTLE

Reporter

Whittle is an Associated Press reporter based in Portland, Maine. He focuses on the environment and oceans.

FILE - A gray seal swims in Casco Bay, off Portland, Maine, in this Sept. 15, 2020 file photo. Seal die-offs from the bird flu have been detected everywhere from New England to Chile. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, files)

Bird flu is decimating seal colonies. Scientists don’t know how to stop it

Avian influenza is killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions in different corners of the world, disrupting ecosystems and flummoxing scientists who don’t see a clear way to slow the devastating virus.

FILE - Electric vehicles are lined up for sale as an alternative to gas-powered cars at Walker Motors, a Ford dealership, in Montpelier, Vt., Monday, June 16, 2008. The neighboring state of Maine's environmental regulators are set to decide, Wednesday, March 20, 2024, whether the state will join a growing number of states adopting new standards designed to grow the use of electric vehicles. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

Maine panel votes against adopting stricter electric vehicle standards

Maine environmental regulators decided Wednesday the state will not join a growing number of states adopting new standards designed to grow the use of electric vehicles.

FILE - Sgt. Aaron Skolfield responds to questioning, Jan. 25, 2024, in Augusta, Maine, during a hearing of the independent commission investigating the law enforcement response to the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. Skolfield, a Maine sergeant whose actions prior to the Lewiston mass shooting were criticized by an investigatory panel, has pulled papers to run for sheriff. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Sergeant faulted for actions before Maine mass shooting is running for sheriff

A Maine sergeant who has been criticized by an investigatory panel for his handling of a report about a man who later carried out a mass shooting is running for sheriff.

Law enforcement officers, right, stand near armored and tactical vehicles, center, near a property on Meadow Road, in Bowdoin, Maine, following a mass shooting, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. An independent commission investigating the deadliest shooting in Maine, that left 18 dead, released their interim report on Friday, March 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Law enforcement should have seized man’s guns weeks before he killed 18 in Maine, report finds

An independent commission investigating a mass shooting that left 18 dead in Maine issued an interim report that has found that a sheriff’s office had cause to take the killer into protective custody and take his guns from him beforehand.

FILE - The first operating South Fork Wind farm turbine, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, 35 miles east of Montauk Point, N.Y. The federal government said Friday, March 15, 2024, it’s moving forward with developing a large area of ocean off New England for offshore wind.(AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

Feds pick New England’s offshore wind development area, drawing cheers and questions alike

The federal government on Friday designated an area of ocean off New England for the development of offshore wind in a move that generated cheers from environmental groups but questions from fishermen.

FILE - Baby eels swim in a tank after being caught in the Penobscot River in Brewer, Maine, on May 15, 2021. The tiny fish are crucial to the worldwide sushi supply chain and they are caught only by Maine fishermen. Often, they're worth more than $2,000 per pound. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, files)

Wriggling gold: Fishermen who catch baby eels for $2,000 a pound hope for many years of fishing

Fishermen might soon be able to catch thousands of pounds of valuable baby eels for years to come. Baby eels, also called elvers, are likely the most valuable fish in the United States on a per-pound basis - worth orders of magnitude more money at the docks than lobsters, scallops or salmon.

In this photo provided by Chip Michalove, LeeBeth, a white shark, is tagged on Dec. 8, 2023, off Hilton Head Island, S.C. Scientists say the animal has been tracked further into the Gulf of Mexico than any white shark they've ever tagged before. (Chip Michalove via AP)

How a wandering white shark’s epic journey could provide clues for protecting them

A 14-foot-long white shark might not be something swimmers want to see at the beach. But scientists say one of the big carnivores has been tracked further into the Gulf of Mexico than any white shark they’ve ever tagged before.

A display screen inside a vehicle shows various radio options, including AM radion, Monday, March 11, 2024, in Bow, N.H. Politicians are closing in on the required number of votes needed to pass federal legislation that requires AM radios in every new car. The prevalence of AM broadcast radio has dipped in recent decades as more listeners turn to options such as satellite radio and podcasts while driving, but a large, bipartisan group of lawmakers believes saving the AM dial is critical to public safety, especially in rural America, and they want to ensure access to it via car radios. (AP Photo/Holly Ramer)

Save Our Signal! Politicians close in on votes needed to keep AM radio in every car

Politicians are closing in on the required number of votes needed to pass federal legislation that requires AM radios in every new car.

In this image taken from New York State Police body camera video that was obtained by WMTW-TV 8 in Portland, Maine, New York State Police interview Army reservist Robert Card, the man responsible for Maine's deadliest mass shooting, at Camp Smith in Cortlandt, N.Y., July 16, 2023. Army officials testified Thursday, March 7, 2024, before a special commission investigating the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history, which was committed by Card. (WMTW-TV 8/New York State Police via AP)

Evidence of traumatic brain injury in shooter who killed 18 in deadliest shooting in Maine’s history

An Army reservist who shot and killed 18 people in Maine last year had evidence of traumatic brain injuries, according to a brain tissue analysis by researchers from Boston University.

This photo by Orla O'Brien shows a gray whale south of Nantucket, Mass., on March 1, 2024. Scientists have confirmed the presence of a whale off New England that went extinct in the Atlantic Ocean two centuries ago. They say it's an exciting discovery, but one that illustrates the impact of climate change on sea life. (Orla O'Brien/New England Aquarium via AP)

What is a whale native to the North Pacific doing off New England? Climate change could be the key

Scientists have confirmed the presence of a whale off New England that went extinct in the Atlantic Ocean two centuries ago.

This photo provided by the National Park Services shows a dead right whale calf off of Georgia. The calf was the first of the year for the rare species, and federal authorities say it was killed by a collision with a ship. The calf had first been seen with injuries two months ago. (National Park Services via AP)

First baby right whale of season dies from injuries caused by ship collision

The first confirmed baby right whale of the year has been found dead from a collision with a ship, a devastating blow for the vanishing species.

Shooting survivor Danielle Grondin embraces fellow shooting survivor Tammy Asselin, wearing a "Lewiston Strong" shirt, prior to a public meeting with a commission investigating the October 2023 shootings, Monday, March 4, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Survivors say opportunities were missed that could have prevented Maine’s worst-ever mass shooting

Emotional survivors of a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, called on politicians to protect the community from future tragedies.

FILE - Max Oliver moves a lobster to the banding table aboard his boat while fishing off Spruce Head, Maine, on Aug. 31, 2021. America's lobster fishing business dipped in catch while grappling with challenges including a changing ocean environment and new rules designed to protect rare whales. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Lobster catch dips to lowest level since 2009 as fishers grapple with climate change, whale rules

America’s lobster fishing business dipped in catch while grappling with challenges including a changing ocean environment and new rules designed to protect rare whales.

FILE - Patty Richards from Vermont takes off with her team of sled dogs at the start of the Can-Am 100 Saturday, March 5, 2022 in Fort Kent, Maine. The organizers of the longest sled dog race in the eastern United States said Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, they are canceling the event due to a lack of snow on the ground. The Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races have taken place in northern Maine for more than three decades, and they include a 250-mile event that is the marquee sled dog race in New England. But this year, snow has been well below average in Maine, and it's not safe to run the races, organizers said.(Emily Jerkins/The Bangor Daily News via AP, File)/The Bangor Daily News via AP, File)

Lack of snow cancels longest sled dog race in eastern United States

Organizers of the longest sled dog race in the eastern United States say they are canceling the event due to a lack of snow on the ground.

FILE - Gov. Janet Mills speaks during a news conference in the aftermath of a mass shooting, in Lewiston, Maine, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Gov. Mills, a Democrat, rolled out legislation on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, she said will prevent dangerous people from possessing weapons and strengthening mental health services to help prevent future tragedies like the Lewiston mass shooting that shook the state. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

In wake of mass shooting, here is how Maine’s governor wants to tackle gun control and mental health

Maine’s governor has rolled out legislation she says will prevent dangerous people from possessing weapons and strengthen mental health services to help prevent future tragedies like the Lewiston mass shooting that shook the state.

FILE - Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. Mills says a state-owned site on the coast of Maine will serve as the location of an offshore wind port critical to developing the nation’s first floating offshore wind power research array, Tuesday, Feb. 20. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Maine wants to lead in offshore wind. The state’s governor says she has location for a key wind port

Maine’s governor says a state-owned site on the coast of Maine will serve as the location of an offshore wind port critical to developing the nation’s first floating offshore wind power research array.

This photo provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources shows a DNR boat crew assessing a dead juvenile right whale about 20 miles off Tybee Island, Ga., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources via AP)

Another endangered whale was found dead off East Coast. This one died after colliding with a ship

Federal authorities said the second critically endangered North Atlantic right whale found dead in the last month showed injuries consistent with a collision with a ship.

Haim Levy shows the sea water level from January 2024 storms at his cottage near Hampton Beach, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in Hampton, N.H. Scientists say the back-to-back storms that lashed the Northeast in January were more of a sign of things to come than an anomaly. Many scientists who study the intersection of climate change, flooding, winter storms and sea level say such storms will arrive with increased frequency and ferocity. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

It’s time for Northeast to prep for floods like those that hit this winter. Climate change is why

Scientists say the back-to-back storms that lashed the Northeast in January were more of a sign of things to come than an anomaly.

FILE - North Atlantic right whales interact at the surface on Cape Cod Bay near a research vessel from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, March 27, 2023, off the coast of Massachusetts. A coalition of environmental groups has sued the federal government to try to force the finalization of ship speed rules the groups say are critically important to save a species of vanishing whale. The proposed ship speed rules would require vessels off the East Coast to slow down more often to help save the North Atlantic right whale. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, NOAA permit # 21371))

Environmental groups sue to force government to finalize ship speed rules that protect rare whales

A coalition of environmental groups is suing the federal government to try to force the finalization of ship speed rules the groups say are critically important to save a vanishing species of whale.

Students are released from school, under watch by local police, outside Thornton Academy following police activity in the area, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in Saco, Maine. Police in a Saco asked residents to shelter in place Friday afternoon while they searched for suspects after an exchange of gunfire and vehicle crash at a busy intersection spurred a brief citywide school lockdown. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Shelter-in-place order continues as Maine city searches for at least 4 suspects in vehicle shooting

A shelter-in-place order remains in effect for the downtown area of Saco, Maine, as police search for at least four suspects who fled after an exchange of gunfire between occupants of two vehicles and a crash that included a school bus.

FILE - Members of the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club, from the left, Tom Henschel, Gregory Eaton, and Don Crisman pose for a group photograph during a welcome luncheon, in Atlanta, Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. As long as they still have each other, they're still going to go to every Super Bowl. That's the sentiment shared by the three friends who say they are the final fans who can claim membership in the exclusive “never missed a Super Bowl” club. And they're back again for number 58 — Super Bowl 58 — this year. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

Three longtime friends have attended every Super Bowl — and don’t intend to stop

Three friends who say they are the final fans who can claim membership in the exclusive “never missed a Super Bowl” club are back again for number 58 this year.

Officer Renee Bernard of the Lisbon Police Department, testifies before an independent commission investigating the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Augusta, Maine. (Rich Abrahamson/The Central Maine Morning Sentinel via AP)

Police who responded to Maine mass shooting describe potential missed opportunities to end manhunt

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Police who testified before an independent commission investigating the response to a mass shooting in Maine acknowledged potential missed opportunities to end a manhunt for the shooter that locked down the community and terrified residents.

FILE - Darrell Young and his son, Dustin, set up a fyke net to capture baby eels migrating upstream on the Penobscot River in Brewer, Maine, May 15, 2021. Fishermen who harvest one of the most valuable marine species in the country hoped to see a bump in quota in 2025, but regulators said Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, the tight restrictions on the baby eel fishery are likely to stay the same. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Fishing regulators say no to catching more of this most valuable species

Fishermen who harvest one of the most valuable marine species in the country won’t get the chance to catch any more next year than they did last.

In this photo provided by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a female right whale was found dead off Martha's Vineyard, Mass., on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. Federal authorities say a rare whale found dead off Massachusetts shows potential evidence of injury from entanglement in fishing gear, which is one of the most pressing threats to the species. (Michael Moore/©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution via AP)

Rare whale found dead off Massachusetts may have been entangled, authorities say

Federal authorities say a rare whale found dead off Massachusetts shows potential evidence of injury from entanglement in fishing gear, which is one of the most pressing threats to the species.

FILE - Rain soaked memorials for those who died sit along the roadside by Schemengees Bar & Grille, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. On Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, a Maine legislative committee considered an emergency request to grant powers to a panel investigating last year's Lewiston mass shooting that the state's governor said are critical to unraveling how the killings unfolded. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

Maine lawmakers consider request to give subpoena power to committee investigating mass shooting

A Maine legislative committee is considering an emergency request to grant powers to a panel investigating last year’s Lewiston mass shooting that the state’s governor said are critical to unraveling how the killings unfolded.

FILE - People sign "I love you" while gathered at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. A commission investigating the shooting that killed 18 people is scheduled to hear from a police agency that had contact with the shooter before he committed the killings. Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey assembled the commission to review the events that led up to the shootings at a bowling alley and a restaurant in Lewiston on Oct. 25. The commission, which is holding its second meeting Thursday, Jan/ 25, 2024 is also tasked with reviewing the police response to the shootings. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, file)

Police defend response, say yellow flag law limited them before Army reservist killed 18 in Maine

Law enforcement officers say Maine’s yellow flag law that allows guns to be confiscated from someone in a mental health crisis is cumbersome and time consuming.

FILE — Gov. Janet Mills attends an event at the Blaine House, Friday, March 11, 2022, in Augusta, Maine. Mills and a state lawmaker who immigrated from Somalia unveiled a proposal on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, to resolve the stat'serious worker shortage by tapping swiftly growing immigrant communities. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Maine has a workforce shortage problem that it hopes to resolve with recently arrived immigrants

Maine Gov. Janet Mills and a state representative who immigrated from Somalia are looking to create a new government office that would tap recent immigrants to try to solve a workforce shortage in the state.

FILE - A lobster fisherman hauls a trap, Sept. 8, 2022, off of Kennebunkport, Maine. A California court has dismissed a lawsuit from a group of fishermen against a conservation group that added New England lobster to its list of seafood to avoid. The lawsuit stemmed from a decision by Seafood Watch, which rates the sustainability of different seafoods, to add American and Canadian lobster fisheries to its “red list” of species to avoid in 2022. The organization, based at Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, said it based its decision on the risk lobster fishing poses to the North Atlantic right whale because of entanglement in fishing gear. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, file)

Lawsuit over California group’s do-not-eat listing for American lobster dismissed

A California court has dismissed a lawsuit from a group of fishermen against a conservation group that added New England lobster to its list of seafood to avoid.

The iconic bell tower building at Pemaquid Point Light stands with makeshift modifications, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in Bristol, Maine, the day after being pummeled by damaging winds and waves from powerful storm. The lighthouse represents Maine on its state quarter. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

This week’s storm damaged the lighthouse on Maine’s state quarter. Caretakers say they can rebuild

The caretakers of part of one of Maine’s most beloved lighthouses say they believe a damaged portion of the structure can be rebuilt.

FILE- Police tape cordons off the road to Schemengees Bar and Grille as law enforcement officers maintain their presence in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. The 911 calls flooding into dispatchers as a gunman opened fire at Schemengees Bar and a bowling alley, reflect the chaos of the unfolding situation last October, in transcripts released Monday Jan. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

911 transcripts reveal chaotic scene as gunman killed 18 people in Maine

The 911 calls flooding into dispatchers as a gunman opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, reflect the chaos of last October’s attack.