“The whale just blew about 1,000 feet off my bow!” Bjoern Kils, 41, gasped as he snapped photographs of the creature he estimated to be about 40 feet (12 meters) long.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed reports of the sighting, but said it would get involved only if the whale became entangled or otherwise became endangered.
“We’re aware, but it’s pretty normal that we get whales out there,” Petty Officer Anthony Pappaly told Reuters.
In recent years, more than a dozen humpback whales have been detected in New York waters, according to state data, with some as close to shore as 550 yards (500 meters) from the beach in Rockaway, Queens.
Gotham Whale, a nonprofit that’s been collecting data on Atlantic whales since 2011, said the whale is likely to have visited the city seeking food. “The whale is most likely visiting due to the plentiful food available right now,” the group wrote on Twitter, and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation agreed.
In another tweet, the group cautioned mariners to slow down and watch out for the whale so they don’t accidentally injure it with their boats.
“This whale is whale No. 89 and the first time we saw this whale was back in 2018,” Sarah Ryan Hudson, a citizen scientist with the organisation, told
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