Whale Spotted in East River, Boaters Told to Stay Clear

A humpback whale was spotted in the East River on Monday, Nov. 25, delighting fans of the magnificent sea creatures and diverting boat traffic.

It’s the first time in roughly two years that a whale has been spotted in the East River, although it is not unheard of to see a whale in that specific stretch of NYC’s watershed. However, they’re reportedly more likely to be spotted in the stretch of open ocean near Rockaway Beach, 40 miles away.

This is according to a spokesperson for Gotham Whale, a group that monitors whale movements in the Big Apple. They told Straus News when and where the humpback was spotted: “There were reports of a whale in the Buttermilk Channel, east of Governor’s Island. A few other reports documented it swimming up alongside Brooklyn Bridge Park, and then under the Brooklyn Bridge. The final report, at 4 p.m. on Monday evening, was from [Brooklyn’s] Domino Park.”

Indeed, an Instagram user named Jen (@yuunikorn) posted widely-shared footage of the whale breaching the surface near Domino Park, which was later picked up by Gotham Whale’s own social media accounts.

“This is not the first time we’ve seen whales in the inner waterways of New York City,” the spokesperson added. “It’s happened several times over the last decade, to varying levels of publicity. We’ve documented the most whales in the New York area this year, more than any other year.”

Gotham Whale gets its intel from both research partners and “citizen scientist submissions,” the spokesperson said. In other words, public submissions–such as photographs of the humpback that made it into the East River on Nov. 25, alongside its location–are “aggregated” and made into a rough map of whale routes. The more submissions the better, because it “maximizes the eyes on the water,” thus making tracking the animals easier.

Tracking these whales is key to protecting them, as well as the boaters making their way through New York City’s waterways. Nobody wants a whale-boat collision. Submissions allow Gotham Whale to “issue warnings to boaters,” the spokesperson explained. “That’s the main threat in this area. There’s super heavy traffic, between ferries and other vessels.”

The United States Coast Guard also reportedly received reports of the whale by the time it reached the Buttermilk Channel, and issued warnings of its own to boaters.

The humpback spotted this month likely came into the East River to feed on schooling fish, Gotham Whale believes. It’s unlikely that it was sick. As for whether it headed back south upon having a full meal, researchers could only guess. It’s possible that it moved north towards the Long Island Sound, as “there’s definitely precedent” for such an occurrence, the spokesperson said.

The submission form on Gotham Whale has been experiencing technical difficulties recently, so Manhattan residents that spot whales are encouraged to email research@gothamwhale.com.