New York, New York – Eager cruise passengers zipping around New York’s southern shores rush to the starboard bow: a humpback whale is up for air, a breathtaking sighting set against Manhattan’s iconic skyline.
Such scenes are no longer uncommon in the city’s waterways, sparking excitement for animal lovers but also forcing new policy efforts to protect whales venturing into one of the busiest port regions in the US.
Once hunted to near extinction, the rebound of humpback whales is considered among the conservation movement’s greatest success stories.
And a growing cohort of mostly juvenile humpbacks are thriving off New York’s coast, where food is now plentiful…