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🚨 ATTENTION BOATERS: NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE SEEN OFF JERSEY SHORE ON SATURDAY! 🐋

There have been lots of whales sightings across NY/NJ in recent weeks, but they are NOT ALL HUMPBACK WHALES! Critically-endangered North Atlantic Right Whales also make rare appearances in local waters.

North Atlantic Right Whale EG #5192, previously seen in September off Montauk, NY by our friends at @cresli_inc, was just seen on Saturday off Barnegat Inlet, NJ! This whale is badly injured and very likely still entangled in fishing gear.

Remember: DO NOT APPROACH Right Whales within 1500 feet (federal law), but DO REPORT all sightings of potential Right Whales to the NOAA Right Whale hotline (866 755-6622) and/or to local stranding organizations @marinemammalstrandingcenternj (NJ) and @amseasorg (NY). Sightings must be reported as soon as possible, to allow for any potential rescue efforts for this whale.

➡️ Boaters in the entire NY/NJ area should remain cautious and vigilant. If you want to learn how to identify Right Whales from other whale species and how to safely boat around them, take this free online whale-safe boating course: boatingwithwhales.com (link in bio)

📸 1 Credit: Dr. Artie Kopelman, CRESLI
📸 2 and 3 Credit: Joseph Mitchell

#whale #rightwhale #newjersey #njboating

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#debbiesdreamfoundation #advocateswalkingforchange #takingsteps2curestomachcancer #stomachcancerawareness #stomachcanceradvocacy

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Guided by dolphins? I’ve seen dolphins surfing the “bow wave” of humpback whales so many times. I’m convinced that the whales also follow the dolphins. Dolphins have echolocation that enables them to locate food. Humpback whales do not. What do you think?

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Two humpback whales enjoying a meal of menhaden last week off Montauk 🐋 Hoping these guys return after the Nor’easter. Been seeing large schools of bunker again. Conditions are right. I’ll be posting anything I see.

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#advocateswalkingforchange
#stomachcancercommunity
#walkforstomachcancer
#debbiesdreamfoundation
#takingsteps2curestomachcancer

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Who else wants to give this humpback whale a belly rub? I filmed this whale repeatedly surfing the easterly swell into a pod of bunker to lunge feed then turning over onto its back. Why was it doing this unusual behavior?

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Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | New Jersey

I photographed this Osprey at Atlantic Highlands within Gateway National Recreation Area in August, but this beautiful bird represents a much bigger story unfolding along the New Jersey coast. Ospreys depend almost exclusively on fish, and Atlantic menhaden, commonly called bunker, are one of their most important prey items. In 2026, conservationists across New Jersey have documented alarming food stress, nest failures, and chick starvation. Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey reports that ospreys are struggling to raise young because menhaden have become increasingly scarce in nearshore waters during the nesting season.

And the Osprey is not alone. Menhaden are a critical part of the coastal food web, providing food for predatory birds, fish, whales, and dolphins. New Jersey wildlife officials describe them as an important prey species for marine mammals and seabirds, while current conservation research is examining how changes in their availability may be affecting predators. The situation is complicated: the latest coastwide stock assessment does not classify Atlantic menhaden as overfished or subject to overfishing, even as local availability and ecological impacts remain a serious concern.

Protecting an Osprey means looking beyond the bird itself. Sometimes conservation begins with understanding what is happening beneath the surface.

#Osprey #BirdConservation #NewJerseyWildlife #AtlanticMenhaden #wildlifephotography

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A few days ago I filmed this common minke whale repeatedly attacking a large school of bunker just off Shadmoor State Park in Montauk. I don’t see many minkes inshore, though I see quite a few while fishing offshore. The acceleration of this guy is incredible. Some surfers thought they saw an orca earlier this summer. I’m pretty sure they saw the black and white pectoral fins of a minke that was side lunge feeding just like this one. What do you think?

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The humpback whales are back! This morning I saw 4 whales at the same time. There may be more. Best time to see them is 8am - 11am but they’ve been around all day!

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This looked like a reunion of sorts. Two humpback whales and a bottlenose dolphin swimming together off Montauk on a perfect September evening. I was filming the smaller humpback when suddenly the whale did a 180 degree turn to join up with a bottlenose dolphin then I saw the larger humpback whale come into view. The dolphin seems gleeful to be surfing his buddy’s “bow” wave. They swam together for the next few minutes until the urge to eat more menhaden split them up.

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That side-eye.
I’m hooked. I’m in awe.

Ditch Plains Beach - Montauk, NY

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I spotted this humpback whale off Southampton on September 5, 2026, and noticed an old propeller wound across its dorsal fin. Thankfully, it doesn’t appear to have been a serious injury, and the wound looks to have healed over.

I shared the sighting with @cresli_inc who told me they first documented this whale off Montauk on September 3, 2025, and it already had the scar. Before that, researchers working with @hdr_inc photographed the same whale off Virginia on January 3, 2024, when it did not have the scar. So sometime between January 2024 and September 2025, this whale had a very close encounter with a boat.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been seeing bunker showing up close to shore again. And where there are bunker, there’s a good chance there will be whales nearby looking for an easy meal.

So consider this a reminder to keep an eye out when you’re on the water. Do you see the two boats in the distance behind the whale? Those boats had no idea this whale was in the vicinity.

If you come across a school of bunker, slow down and give them plenty of space. There could be a whale just below the surface that you never see coming.
Southampton, NY

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