Drone Footage Captures Whale Feeding Frenzy Off New York Coast and Incident Off New Hampshire
Mesmerizing drone footage captured a whale feeding on a large school of fish off the coast of New York. Michael Busch was flying his drone when he spotted schools of Atlantic menhaden, also known as bunker fish, and encountered a humpback whale. The Long Island resident not only captured this impressive sighting but also filmed an ocean sunfish. Credit: Michael Busch via Storyful.
Humpback Whale Capsizes Fishing Boat in New Hampshire
A separate incident involving a humpback whale occurred off the coast of New Hampshire, where a whale capsized a fishing boat. Marine biologists confirmed the whale was likely feeding, not attacking. The humpback whale may have lunged for its prey and accidentally landed on the boat.
A fishing boat about a mile off the coast of New Hampshire capsized on Tuesday after a humpback whale emerged from the water and smashed into it, as shown in video footage of the incident. The two men aboard the boat reported to local outlet WCVB that they hadn’t seen the whale for a few minutes when it suddenly surfaced and came down on the back of the boat.
Video taken by a pair of teen brothers on a nearby boat shows the fishing boat’s bow tilting upwards before capsizing as the whale disappeared beneath the surface. One man dove sideways off the boat while the other was thrown overboard. Fortunately, neither was seriously injured, with one saying, “It’s kind of a miracle that I’m alive.”
Marine Biologists’ Perspective
Marine biologists provided a different perspective on the incident, explaining that the whale was feeding, not attacking. Andrew Trites, director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia, noted that the whale came up with its mouth open, indicating feeding behavior, as well as some airborne fish likely targeted by the whale.
“So no attack by the humpback whale, just an unfortunate accident for both the whale and fisherman,” Trites explained, adding that the whale may not have even realized the boat was there.
Melanie Smith, a marine biologist and master’s candidate at the University of New Hampshire, agreed that the whale appeared to be feeding. Smith, who studies humpback whale behavior, said lunging for fish is common for the species. The whale will typically swim through a school of fish or krill with its mouth open, which is what seemed to happen in the video.
“It seems like the whale was fishing, the people may have been fishing or were finishing up fishing, and it was kind of a bad place, wrong time,” Smith said. “The whale may have just misjudged where the boat was and then hit the boat.”
Understanding Whale Behavior
The lunging behavior differs from breaching, where a whale propels itself out of the water with its mouth closed, typically getting most of its body into the air. Researchers are not confident why whales breach, though one possible explanation is that it communicates with other whales.
As for the humpback in the video, Trites mentioned it was likely injured from the collision but it’s unclear if it was cut, bruised, or had a fractured jaw. According to WCVB, there were pieces of whale skin and blubber on the boat’s engine cover, which was cracked.
Safety for Whales and Boaters
Vessel collisions remain a threat to humpback whales, with larger ships posing the greatest risk. The biologists emphasized the importance of maintaining a safe distance from whales to avoid unintentional damage due to their large size.
“Hopefully, this video helps make others realize that they need to give whales space to feed rather than run the risk of having a whale come down on top of them,” Trites said.