Whale watching in New York City

New York City is not known for its whales, but that looks set to change with the giant mammals becoming an ever more common sight in the city's harbour.

Alongside humpback and fin whales, the enormous blue whale and the endangered Atlantic right whale have been spotted in the New York's waters. Dolphins and seals have also made several appearances, creating an unusual tourist attraction in the Big Apple.

Ferry captain Tom Paladino, who has begun running tourism tours to see the whales and dolphins, confirmed that the number of mammals had 'increased tenfold'.

He told the New York Daily News, “We used to see 10 whales a year - now we see 100. We saw dolphins almost on a daily basis between June and September.”

Whilst the whales have traditionally swum along the northeast coastline to spend their summers off the Massachusetts and Maine coastline, many of them are now said to be living just off the coast of New York's famous Staten Island.

Cleaner waters have been attributed to the return of the marine life, alongside a new system that has been rolled out in Massachusetts which ensures boats slow down and don't hurt the whales.

Cornell University professor, Chris Clark, said that the whale-listening devices he installed could pick up at least six species of whale. “I've been surprised elsewhere in the world, but off New York – yikes!” he said.

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