Researchers Launch Study of Whales Off New York City Coast

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Scientists are finally taking an in-depth look at the fledgling whale population that has begun to venture into the New York Bight over the last five years.

The Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) New York Aquarium and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have deployed the first advanced underwater buoy to understand how whales engage with the marine habitat of the New York Bight, which stretches between Montauk, New York and Cape May, New Jersey. The hope is that by better understanding the whales' movements and how they engage with the environment, scientists could better protect whales as they move through some of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

The 4-foot buoy has a mast that stands six feet above the ocean's surface and is connected with patented "stretch hoses" to a frame planted 125 feet underwater on the seafloor. The frame carries a unique acoustic instrument that processes sounds from the ocean, before passing this information along through the "stretch hoses." It was placed between two major shipping lanes to the New York Harbor, about 22 miles off the coast of Fire Island. You can find an in-depth explanation of the buoy here.

“This technology allows us to monitor the presence of several species of baleen whales in near real time, and to use that knowledge to better study and protect these endangered species in the extremely busy waters of the New York Bight," said Mark Baumgartner, a marine ecologist as well as the co-lead of the joint WCS New York Aquarium-WHOI project.

While it may surprise some, whales have been spotted ever more frequently off the New York coast. According to Paul Sieswerda, head of Gotham Whale, an organization which documents marine mammal life around New York City, whales started showing up in the New York Bight around 2011.

In 2011, there were three sightings, but those numbers soon increased. In 2012 there were 15 sightings, in 2013 there were 33 sightings, and in 2014 there were 87 sightings. Sieswerda attributes the rise in sightings to the return of greater numbers of fish to the New York Bight as a result of efforts to clean up the Hudson River and surrounding coastlines.

The Port of New York and New Jersey is one of the busiest in the country though. It's the largest port on the East Coast, and the third-largest in the nation, handling 3,664,013 containers in 2015, a 9.6 percent increase from 2014. In 2014 there were multiple reports of whales being struck by ships and killed. However collisions with ships aren't the only threat facing these whales. Their reliance on acoustics to socialize and navigate their environment makes them at risk from incidents of underwater noise and fishing gear entanglements, according to the WHOI.

This is the first time the fledgling whale population of the area will be studied in this way in New York. The data from the buoy, in conjunction with other areas of the project, will help researchers develop plans to protect the area's whale populations and coordinate with state and federal agencies.

"The presence of some of the world's largest animals in New York waters is a reminder that we are surrounded by an ocean wilderness and something of a delightful surprise for many New Yorkers," said Jon Forrest Dohlin, Vice President and Director of WCS's New York Aquarium, in a press release. "In addition to learning more about whales, the acoustic buoy will help us raise awareness about the diversity of marine wildlife of New York Bight, a critical step towards conserving our region’s natural wealth."

The study is currently slated to last two years but is looking for funding to extend its length.

Photo courtesy of Isaac Kohane