BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026
Earlier this month, a friend sent me a photo of Belfast Harbor. On the floats near where I dock my boat was a white seal in a “banana” pose — a C-curve with the flippers up. Instantly, I knew it was a hooded seal from the Arctic. Arctic, or “ice,” seals spend much of their lives around sea ice in colder climates. Hooded and harp seals occasionally migrate to the Gulf of Maine in winter and are typically spotted between December and March. It’s kind of like their Florida. There’s likely little time left to see Arctic seals in Belfast Harbor at this point in the winter. Wanting to mark the visit, I sponsored an ice sculpture of the seal for this weekend’s Belfast Ice Festival. ~ Nicolle Littrell