The top two threats facing whales off Long Island's coast are boat strikes and fishing nets.
That’s according to research by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, a group that performs necropsies when dead whales wash ashore.
Almost half of the large whales that the Society necropsied over the past nine years were struck by boats, including humpback, minke, and North Atlantic right whales.
It's not just large, commercial vessels that pose a threat. Even collisions with small recreational boats can hurt or kill a whale, according to Rob DiGiovanni, founder and chief scientist at the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society.
“It's really important that we give them their space," DiGiovanni said at a forum hosted Monday by the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "Remember, this is a 30-foot animal, usually on average, so it needs a lot more space than you need in whatever boat you're in.”
The group said it hasn't uncovered any evidence that wind turbines can damage whales.
“If you really care about whales, then you really should care about what is really harming them," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "It is not a political question; it is a science-based question.”
The Nature Conservancy in New York partnered with other environmental advocacy groups to create a special boating safety course explaining best practices around large whales.
"You'll learn a bit about how to look for whales, the kinds of whales that are in our area, how to safely drive a boat when you're around them, and also what to do when you see a situation that requires calling in some professionals," said Carl LoBue, oceans program director for the Nature Conservancy in New York. "We tried to make it fun."
The free course is available online at boatingwithwhales.com
