New York City residents shocked by unusual whale sighting in East River
Video shows a whale swimming under the Williamsburg Bridge on Monday, surprising onlookers. The sighting came after a mother and calf whale were seen near Spring Lake, NJ. (Credit: Helena Lippolis)
New Yorkers enjoyed a rare whale sighting on Monday after one was spotted swimming in the East River.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the sighting to the Gothamist on Tuesday. At the time, the Coast Guard was unable to confirm whether the whale was a humpback whale or an endangered North Atlantic right whale.
Humpback whale sightings are typically more common, although more than 80 North Atlantic right whales were seen off the coast of Long Island this summer.
Footage obtained by Fox News shows the whale spouting out of its blowhole just below the Williamsburg Bridge at sunset. Onlookers are also heard gasping in the footage.
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New Yorkers were shocked when a whale was spotted swimming near the Williamsburg Bridge on Monday. (Helena Lippolis)
"Oh! Did you see that?" one viewer said.
The whale reportedly swam along the East River and was spotted near the Brooklyn Bridge as well.
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Gotham Whale, an organization that tracks marine life in the New York City area, told Fox News Digital that the sighting was "somewhat [of an] unusual event."
The whale was seen spouting just under the historic New York City bridge. (Helena Lippolis)
"It is not clear whether the whale is still in [the New York City] area," Gotham Whale research director Danielle Brown told Fox News Digital. "Due to busy holiday travel, it is very possible that the whale was still in the area today but has just not been reported yet."
Brown also estimated that there are dozens of humpback whales swimming off the New York and New Jersey coasts.
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In an unrelated instance, Gotham Whale also noted that two humpback whales were seen near Spring Lake, New Jersey on Sunday. The pair — a mother and a calf — swam in only 30 feet of water and were spotted near fishing boats.
A humpback whale surface feeding off NYC's Rockaway Beach with the Freedom Tower in the background on September 15, 2014 in New York City. (Artie Raslich via Getty Images)
"Most calves are weaning and getting ready to separate from their mothers this time of year, so it is a vulnerable time for them," the organization advised in a Facebook post. "PLEASE WATCH OUT for this little whale as it learns to feed!"
"Always keep a distance of at least 100 feet from all whales, but give mothers and calves extra space!"
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The incident is not the first time that a whale has been spotted swimming near the Big Apple. In 2020, a humpback whale was seen in the Hudson River, apparently drawn by the presence of small fish.
A baby minke whale surfaces while swimming in the Gowanus Bay on April 18, 2007 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. (Michael Heiman via Getty Images)
It is also not uncommon to see dead humpback whales wash up near New York City. Between December 2022 and February 2023, 13 dead whales were identified near the New York and New Jersey shorelines.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard for comment.
Fox News Digital's Grace Taggart, Julia Musto and James Rogers contributed to this report.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article erroneously identified the Williamsburg Bridge as the Brooklyn Bridge. It has been corrected.
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