A Preliminary Study on Humpback Whales Lunge Feeding in the New York Bight, United States

Abstract

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have recently been observed feeding in the New York Bight (NYB), the section of ocean from Montauk, New York to Cape May, New Jersey, United States (US). This feeding technique brings humpback whales to the surface of the water which puts them at a greater risk of vessel strike. The NYB is already an area of concern due to shipping traffic leading to the Ports of New York and New Jersey (PNYNJ). In this study, data collected by Gotham Whale from 2011 to 2019 were analyzed on humpback whales lunge feeding in the NYB apex, near the entrance to the PNYNJ. Clusters of lunge feeding were investigated, along with the water depths of lunge feeding locations. Using ArcGISPro, six significant hot spot clusters were identified, and water depth of lunge feeding locations ranged from 4.50 to 35.00 m with a mean of 14.83 m. The results of this study provide the first documentation on potential lunge feeding hot spot clusters in the NYB apex. Future studies should obtain comprehensive data looking at the amount of time humpback whales in the NYB are spending on the surface and time they are spending feeding in shipping lanes. This information will be important for the management of marine mammals in this area and may help to mitigate and reduce the incidence of boat strikes to humpback whales in this region.