A Whale Was Identified in Hudson River

A massive surprise arose from the Hudson River. On November 18, a humpback whale was seen swimming near the George Washington Bridge. Based on the data gathered by a group responsible for categorizing marine animals, this was the first time when a creature like this reached a river. The Palisades Interstate Parkway Police has posted a picture containing a whale which was spotted at the surface of Hudson River.

• A whale was seen swimming in the Hudson River.
• Specialists think the animal is here for food.

A helicopter sent to the area has also taped a video material of this animal swimming in the river. Paul Sieswerda, who is the founder of Gotham Whale Watch, has argued that this type of event represents its first time it was documented. Only specialists from the group which catalogs marine mammals have registered such a record.

Sieswerda expressed his concern regarding the safety of the whale. It could be hit or severely harmed by any ship in the Hudson River. Scientists from the Gotham Whale Watch keep their hopes up, believing that the whale reached the river only to catch some fish.

In the past few years, the number of whales spotted off the shore of Jersey and near New York Harbor has significantly increased. Some conservationists have argued that this high number of such creatures is because waters are cleaner here. They are less affected by industrial discharges, street overflow and decreased levels of sewage. Thus, the plankton has a favorable environment for a better development, being continuously flourishing near to the shore.

When plankton migrates here, it becomes the perfect meal for menhaden. The bait fish has been a food source for the menhaden species. What is more, whales’ favorite food is menhaden. So the food chain goes up. The presence of whales in the rivers or near the shore has determined a lot of people to become whale-watchers, staying in their boats waiting to capture an impressive photo of the creature. Everybody hopes that the whale will safely return to the ocean.

This situation has alarmed authorities which were instructed to warn boaters to pay attention to these amazing creatures in order not to harm them. The New York environmental officials and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched some alerts meant to announce boaters to pay attention to the whales and not to harm them.

Image courtesy of: wikipedia