1 year later: Changes made after deadly shark attack in Harpswell, friends honor victim

HARPSWELL (WGME) -- It's been one year since the first deadly shark attack on record in Maine. It happened in Harpswell off Bailey Island.

[Maine coastal communities work on shark safety rules ahead of summer]

On July 27, 2020, 63-year-old Julie Dimperio Holowach from New York was swimming with her daughter near Mackerel Cove when she was attacked by a great white shark.

Maine marine officials said the shark likely mistook her for a seal in her wetsuit.

[Great white shark responsible for deadly Maine attack, officials say]

About 10 of Julie’s kayaking friends pushed off the shore Tuesday morning in remembrance of her and the tragedy that happened.

Members say she’d paddle with them every Friday in August, oftentimes going to Ram or Pinkham Island. They say she was known on the island for her athleticism and upbeat attitude.

About 10 of Julie’s kayaking friends pushed off the shore Tuesday morning in remembrance of her and the tragedy that happened.

Members say she’d paddle with them every Friday in August, oftentimes going to Ram or Pinkham Island. They say she was known on the island for her athleticism and upbeat attitude.

"I’ve kayaked with her many times. Done a lot of things with her. Cheered her on during triathlons and it’s just a very emotional thing to be here and make a memory last,” said Marnie McFarland, Julie’s friend, said.

"We don’t want to forget. We just want to keep her memory with us and that we still miss her, and we still think about her and honor her,” said Teena Patton, who organized the memorial paddle.

Members of the kayak group say they hope to hold a memorial paddle for Julie on July 27 every year.

Julie’s family thanked the group for keeping her memory alive.

[Maine is home to 8 types of sharks, from sand tigers to great whites]

Arthur Howe, the fire administrator and emergency management agent for Harpswell, said purple flags have been installed to warn beachgoers if a shark has been spotted nearby.

"We’re just looking to engage the public and make them aware these animals are alive and well in their own environment and it happens to be and can be close to our swimming areas, our publicly accessible areas,” Howe said.

Howe says so long as seals are around, sharks won’t be far away.

"Seals need to feed too so they’re looking at where to find bait, going to move elsewhere to find food so the sharks will follow the seals basically,” Howe said.

[Bailey Island community in shock after deadly shark attack]

Maine state parks will be using a flag system for its waters, including all southern beaches.

So far, Howe says they haven’t had to fly the purple flag, but he does say there have been a couple distant, unconfirmed sightings away from shoreline.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources has also added an online tool to its website so people who think they see a shark can report it.

“There’s been a number of reportings and unconfirmed sightings,” says Jim Britt.

Jim Britt at the Maine Department of Agriculture is asking people if they see something in the water that looks like a shark to report it.

“Swim close to shore, swim in groups, kayak in groups, surf in groups, avoid murky water, avoid seals and where there may be schools of fish.”

[Maine experts say shark attacks are still rare as state launches tool to report sightings]

That data also gets sent to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, which runs the "Sharktivity" mobile app.

According to the app, there have been 15 confirmed or unconfirmed sightings off the coast of Maine in the last year.

The state is also doing more to track shark migration by nearly tripling the number of detectors in coastal waters.

[Maine triples number of sensors that track large sharks]

One year ago, the Department of Marine Resources deployed eight acoustic receivers between Wells and Popham Beach, bringing the total then to 11.

This summer, there are now 32 of them.

The sensors don't provide real-time data and have to be brought to shore to download the data, but officials say they provide information about the migration and habitat use of great white sharks in the Gulf of Maine.