More Whales and Sharks Coming to New York Harbor
Batten your hatches and brush up on your Ahab impersonations: Whales are here. Yes, the waters around New York City, a place not usually noted for its natural wonders, have seen an uptick in major marine life in the past couple words. That means whales and sharks have been venturing closer to the shores of Manhattan. In fact, a marine wildlife tracker spotted a humpback whale only about four miles away from the Statue of Liberty. You know what this means? WHALENADO IS UPON US.
The Gotham Whale group, an association of “citizen scientists” who track the comings and goings of those mammoth sea creatures around New York City, reported that there’s been an increase in activity in New York waters. This feeding season, which begins in April and is still going, they’ve already seen 29 whales. In 2013 they only spotted 43 the whole season. In 2011, they spotted five whales.
What’s behind this #whaleswarm coming to delight and terrify the masses? According to Gotham Whale leader Paul Sieswarda, cleaner waters around the shores of Manhattan mean a boom in the fish population. Fish are delicious, and whales would like to eat them, all at once in a giant seawater Slurpee, please. “My boat captain says New York is the new Cape Cod,” Sieswarda told The Guardian. Sure, why not.
The marine boom is also bringing in more sharks to the waters around New Jersey and New York. So fingers crossed that they don’t get caught up in some freak weather event, y’heard?