Humpback Whales Were Recently Spotted In NYC Waters
Shortly after dozens of dolphins were seen near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, humpback whales were spotted swimming with against the backdrop of the NYC skyline.
Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) shared photos of the majestic creatures on a sunny Wednesday, August 2, which were taken just five miles from the New York Aquarium in Coney Island.
And according to a tweet from the WCS, they were even met with dolphins and a young fin whale as well.
The WCS team even got in the water with the whales, “identifying individual ones, recording their behavior, and collecting tissue samples for analysis,” reports ABC 7, as part of their Ocean Giants Program.
According to officials, this type of research will help to “establish important baselines about whales off the coast of New York and New Jersey.”
Whale species including humpback, fin, minke, and North Atlantic right whales have been sited off of the NYC coast more frequently over the past few years, according to 6SqFt. Though, sadly, they’re at risk of things like entanglement in fishing lines and nets, getting struck by ships, and their habitat being changed.
However, through the WCS’ conservation work, they’re helping to guide and inform fisheries and management policies to “protect and restore threatened species and habitat, encourage smart ocean planning to ensure a place for wildlife in our busy waters, and build ecological resilience in nearshore and river habitats.”
You can learn more about the Wildlife Conservation Society here.
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