On this case, Schulman-Janiger says the humpback in query had been noticed feeding on Atlantic menhaden for a number of days within the Piscataqua River between Maine and New Hampshire—an uncommon prevalence for that space, she notes.

The Coast Guard was apparently conscious of the whale, the one one among its sort within the space, and had even issued notices to mariners in order that they might be careful for it, in response to Dianna Schulte, co-founder and director of analysis for the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation.

All of that stated, Schulman-Janiger says the boat operators seem to have finished nothing mistaken. Their engine was off, they usually weren’t making an attempt to work together with the whale. 

In areas the place baitfish (small, fast-breeding species) are concentrated, “humpback whales will gladly benefit from the simple meal and should have little regard for what’s on the floor, together with boats,” in response to a Fb publish from the New England/Mid-Atlantic division of NOAA Fisheries, “When feeding, humpback whales may be unpredictable and energetic on the floor.”

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Happily, even touchdown on a human vessel wasn’t sufficient to discourage the humpback from feasting. Schulman-Janiger notes that studies from the scene recommended that after the encounter, the whale continued to feed for one more 4 hours.