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(excerpt from) Newsday
It’s (hump) back: Whale, spotted again, in New York Harbor
By John Valenti and Jennifer Smith / April 9, 2009
A 20-foot humpback whale has been causing quite a stir in metro-area waters during the last 24 hours.
Spotted off Rockaway Beach on Wednesday, the whale headed into New York Harbor early Thursday, only to head back out again, last seen making its way toward Coney Island, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard is maintaining a “safety zone” around the whale in an effort to protect it from boaters and ships – and protect boaters from it.
The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation has a team responding to the scene to assess the condition of the whale…
While it is somewhat unusual for a humpback whale to travel this far inshore, Kim Durham, rescue program coordinator for the Riverhead Foundation, said it could have been lured in by the presence of food. The Coast Guard is urging the public to maintain a safe distance from the whale since it could interfere with any necessary rescue effort.
Filed under: Ecology, Environment, local, nature, News
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