The Maine Marine Patrol identified the woman who died in a shark attack near Bailey Island in Harpswell on Monday.
Witnesses told Marine Patrol that Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, of New York City, was swimming near White Sails Lane and appeared to be injured by a shark.
The attack occurred around 3:30 p.m. About 20 meters from the coast. Holowach was swimming with her daughter who was not injured. Authorities said Holowach was wearing a wet suit when she was attacked by the shark.
The kayakers brought Holowach ashore and called the first to respond, but she died.
The Maine Marine Patrol said a recovered tooth fragment confirmed that Holowach was attacked by a great white shark.
The Maine Marine Patrol urges swimmers and boaters to exercise caution near Bailey Island until further notice, and to avoid swimming near seals or schools of fish.
Authorities said people should avoid areas where seals and school fish congregate as they are preyed on by sharks.
People are urged to report any shark sightings to officials. The Maine Marine Patrol is patrolling the area.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said swimmers in nearby Popham and Reid State Parks cannot go above waist-high water until further notice as a precaution.
Reid State Park file photo Two Maine state parks restrict swimmers after deadly shark attack in area
It is the first fatal shark attack recorded in Maine. A non-fatal shark attack was reported about 10 years ago in Eastport. That shark was not a great target, authorities said.
Dr. James Sulikowski of Arizona State University is an expert in sharks in New England. He called the attack "surprising and shocking."
He also said that sharks could be spreading north from Cape Cod while foraging for food, adding that Maine has a large seal population.
Sulikowski also said that a seal was killed by an apparent shark bite in Phippsburg on Sunday.
He said that based on the size of the seal bite, the shark involved would have been at least 11 feet long.
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