The single biggest threat to whales? Human interaction. When an uptick in whale deaths off the East Coast made headlines over the winter, longtime whale researchers in the area weren’t surprised. For more than a decade, researchers have seen whale sightings increase in the New York Bight, the wedge of ocean between the tips of the two states. But the influx of whales puts the animals at greater risk of human interaction, their biggest threat. Scientists say well-documented threats – vessel collisions, fishing gear and climate change – bear much of the responsibility for an increase in East Coast whale deaths dating back to 2017. Perhaps nowhere is that threat greater than in the waters of the New York Bight. Some of the world’s biggest ships pass through these waters on their way to one of the world’s busiest ports, New York Harbor. Visit the link in bio to learn more.