Another humpback whale sighting has been reported in the Hudson River in eastern New York on Sunday, November 20, but this time, the whale was spotted in Manhattan's West Side.
The whale was seen off 96th street after around 2 p.m. after several boats confirmed that a whale was swimming around New York Harbor last week.
In recent years, the number of humpback whale sightings in New York Harbor has significantly increased including around Jersey Shore.
Environmentalists and conservation groups believe that cleaner waters, less sewage waste as well as street and industrial runoff are enabling plankton to thrive closer to the shore. This is the main food source for a small fish known as menhaden, and whales feast on this fish as their main source of food.
More whales mean more boats, as thousands hop onto whale watching boats to see the majestic marine mammals swim through the ocean or even leap out of the water.
Local authorities are now warning mariners to keep at a safe distance and avoid contact with the massive mammal.
The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has issued alerts to boaters to slow down and watch out for the creatures since there have been accidents in recent years. The most recent whale accident was in May 2014, when a cruise ship dragged a 55-foot finback whale into the Hudson River.
Biologists and experts say that this is the time of the year that whales are migrating south to forage for food.
According to Wildlife Conservation Society's Howard Rosenbaum, the whale which was first seen last Thursday was most likely a humpback. It was spotted near the shores of Fire Island and Brooklyn.
Apart from humpback whales, different whale species are also visiting New York waters with increasing frequency near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and off the coast of Long Island and New Jersey.