On Monday, November 25, an unexpected sighting occurred when a Humpback whale was seen swimming beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. This marks the first time the species has visited the East River in two years.
Rare Sight in Urban Waters
According to New York Post, the director of research at Gotham Whale, Danielle Brown, described the incident: “It’s much, much more common to see them in the ocean along the coastline. We have only had rare cases of them moving into the river, but it does happen.”
According to reports, the whale could have passed through the Buttermilk Channel, which is the narrow passage between Governor’s Island and Red Hook. This is 40 miles from its normal feeding grounds near Rockaway Beach.
Possible Reasons for the Whale’s Journey
Brown explained that the whale might have been searching for food, such as Atlantic menhaden, white perch, striped bass, flounder, or black sea bass. While whales sometimes do swim into the East River, their appearances are few and far between, mostly because of the high boat traffic in the city. “The whales will follow fish wherever they need to go. So sometimes that does mean heading north into the river, and it does seem to happen this time of year,” Brown said.
Recent Sightings and Historical Context
Brown said this whale sighting “is not totally out of the ordinary,” although there hasn’t been one seen in the East River since 2022. The last documented sighting in the Hudson River was a humpback whale in 2020.
It’s been a couple of years, but we’ve had records of other interesting species in the Hudson River,” Brown said. “For example, there have been lots of dolphin sightings in the Hudson River over the years, so we do know it is possible for these species to migrate in that direction, but of course, it is always a surprise — especially when it comes to these whales.”
Safety and Community Action
Brown estimated that the whale spotted on Monday is a juvenile, measuring between 25 and 35 feet long. There is only a single image of the whale which is hard to estimate the age of the whale and its length, but Brown’s estimation was based on the previous sightings of this type of whale in that area.
Brown encouraged the public to report any future sightings with Gotham Whale and reminded them to take safety measures. “There’s a lot of risks to a whale in that area,” she said. “So we’re hoping this whale is going to be safe. We’re hoping that people are watching out for it when they’re on their boats in the area. And these people who are seeing the whale in the river are actually really helping us out by letting people know that they’re seeing it.”
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