My birthday present for myself was a trip on the American Princess, which departed at noon on August 23 from Riis Landing on Jamaica Bay, to see humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). We had a very successful adventure, seeing at least two different whales blowing air and coming out of the water. I took video throughout, and I share with you the video compilation and stills pulled from the video.
Humpback whale, seen from the American Princess, August 23, 2018
Humpback whale seen from the American Princess, August 23, 2018
The video, very shaky because I was, after all, on a boat in the ocean and hand-holding the camera, is set to music by Audionautrix.
Gotham Whale, a whale research and advocacy organization, has become concerned about potential overfishing of the menhaden, or bunker, fish the whales love. According to Gotham Whale:
“The Omega Fleet recently has been fishing just outside the 3-mile limit of NY/NJ. They are fishing legally, but we believe threaten the local population of bunker in the area where whales feed.”
The Gotham Whale policy:
“While supporting long term regulatory and policy changes in the actions below, we believe that influencing the Omega Company directly could have an immediate and beneficial effect. Our strategy is to direct public attention to the problem and exert pressure in terms of public relations for Omega Protein. We hope the Company will see fit to find other fishing grounds. Our suggestion would be to fish at least 20 miles from the entrance of NY Harbor. Gotham Whale has been documenting humpback feeding in this area since 2011 and we would like it to continue. We are also appealing to the owners of Omega Protein to further persuade them to leave the bunker for the whales.”
To sign the petition, visit: https://gothamwhale.org/petition1/
