Rare whales have taken up residence in New York waters, but scientists are concerned

Nearly a quarter of the world's population of endangered northern right whales have been discovered in an unusual and potentially dangerous location, scientists report. CBS, are sounding the alarm.

At least 82 whales were spotted in late July and August during research flights south of Long Island, New York. That's far from the New England and Canadian waters where whales are typically found in the summer.

“To see this many of these animals at this time 60 to 120 miles south of Long Island, New York, is pretty unusual,” said aquarium scientist Katherine McKenna, adding that the “mid-Atlantic aggregation” of whales is due to changing ocean conditions.

Experts don't like it.

dangerous behavior

Experts say the whale population is in a potentially dangerous area with heavy boat traffic.

There are about 360 northern right whales left in the world. They are endangered.

Of concern is that there are currently no mandatory speed limits in place, although such limits would reduce the risk of fatal boat strikes on large whales in the area.

On the subject: A cruise ship arrived at the port of Brooklyn with the corpse of a huge whale on its nose.

Some individuals have had propeller wounds from boat strikes, and this is the main cause of mortality for the species. Whales also die in fishing nets.

Fishermen and marine experts have observed other changes in behavior sharks due to prey migrations, which forced the marine predators to move closer to local beaches, such as the north shore of Long Island.

Experts believe that right whales and sharks moved to their new habitats due to abundant food sources.

Experts say they see two telltale signs of feeding: whales spend at least 10 minutes below the surface of the water and defecate in the area.

"That indicates there was good prey there, a good food source, for them to be able to stay there for that long," McKenna said. She noted that there were a lot of fishing nets and boats around the marine mammals.

"We were definitely nervous watching this," the aquarium scientist admitted. "Their next gathering spot is becoming increasingly unpredictable due to changing ocean conditions."