Whale sightings surge off NYC coast, Hochul signs whale safety law * Brooklyn Paper

Whale sightings off New York City are hitting new records as a Staten Island nonprofit documented the 500th individual humpback whale in NYC waters in July. Gotham Whale has logged 80 to 100 individual whales each year since 2018, up from just 10 to 30 annually before then. Each sighting is recorded in the New York City Humpback Whale Catalog, with researchers identifying whales by fluke prints—unique markings under their tails, and sometimes dorsal fins. The Port of New York–New Jersey is the nation’s busiest, and vessel traffic contributes to injuries and deaths; NOAA estimates about 40% of humpbacks die from ship strikes or entanglements. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the New York Whale Awareness Act on Aug. 1 to add whale-safe boating education to existing safety and registration processes.