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It’s a riddle. No one knows exactly why dolphins are being spotted more often and for longer periods of time in and around New York Harbor, the giant estuary where salty ocean tides mix with freshwater from the Hudson River.

“We saw a lot of sights,” said one official, Maxine Montello. New York Marine Rescue Center. “It’s a blessing to see stronger populations, but it’s also a concern because there’s increased overlap with people and shared resources,” he said, especially during the summer months when more tourists and excursion boats are navigating the busy waters.

The dolphin revival around metropolitan New York, with the nation’s most developed coastline, contrasts sharply with the horrific periods of sickness and rising death rates that periodically plague East Coast waters. Herd of dolphin carcasses in 2013 washed ashore first in New Jersey, then in Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, which are the mammals’ winter home. Most of the bodies rolled in the surf, badly decomposed. The suspected killer was a deadly virus.

Now, like people flocking to New York. apartment rental bidding wars, marine mammals seem to be enjoying the city’s bustling waters again. Possible explanations include improved habitat quality, warmer water due to climate change, and out of place Stocks, experts say. Dolphins adore schooling fish, eating up to 20 kilos per day.

New Yorkers spot dolphins in places like the East River, which separates Manhattan from Brooklyn and Queens. A couple showed up off the coast of Greenpoint, Brooklyn last year and left audiences and scientists breathless.

“This is not where they are normally seen” Howard C. Rosenbaumsenior scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, He told WABC last year. He added that the couple showed no signs of distress.

To better understand the dolphins’ backlash and the threats to their populations, the conservation association’s Dr. Six scientists, including Rosenbaum, recently studied the behavior and haunts of dolphins in and around New York Harbor. The team focused on bottlenose dolphins — medicine famous for wide grins and energetic leaps. Highly intelligent creatures inhabit coastal waters and use sound waves to communicate and hunt for food.

Scientists have discovered that bottlenose dolphins can emit a rapid series of clicks known as dolphins. feeding buzz It helps them track their prey. The team from 2018 to 2020 to create Underwater microphones and recorders at six locations off Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and New Jersey to listen to different sounds.

A sensor was placed next to an artificial structure known as rocky reefA hotspot seen about two miles south of Rockaway Beach, Queens. Another was set up closer to Manhattan, in Brooklyn’s Upper Bay, in an area of ​​high shipping traffic. The overall aim was to document when and where the dolphins were feeding.

The team found that the dolphins’ predatory activity is highest in Lower Bay, off Staten Island, particularly near the entrance to New York Harbor and the mouth of the estuary, which stretches for five miles between Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Breezy Point. , queens. Lower levels were found in the Upper Bay area. The team reported that prey peaks from late summer through fall.

“To better manage potential human-wildlife conflict,” the authors write. Wrote Earlier this month in a marine ecology journal, “more focused research is needed on this understudied population.”

Sarah G. TrabueThe underwater ears “do a great job of building up a wealth of knowledge about these animals, but we can see gaps that need to be filled,” said the researcher at the Wildlife Conservation Society, who led the study. possible links between human activity and foraging patterns, he said.

Rosenbaum increased the importance of acoustic research, saying that population growth “has become part of our new normal.” “This is a very powerful tool for learning about bottlenose dolphins in our own backyard,” he said, adding that it will help build “the most rigorous understanding of how to minimize harm.”

Joe Reynoldsa nature writer and wildlife photographer, registered An increase in dolphin sightings on her blog about New York Harbor almost five years ago. Among the factors driving their return, he saw the increasing abundance of marine life, especially menhaden, as the most important. People avoid oily fish, also known as shelters, and prefer dolphins. experts credit Fish resurgence in the management of East Coast fisheries.

Mr Reynolds said bottlenose dolphins are often observed feeding in the large bunker schools in Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay and in the Atlantic Ocean near Jersey Shore towns such as Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach and Long Branch.

“How do we know that the dolphins are after the shelter?” He asked. “They were not alone. Hungry gulls, swallows, cormorants, and other seabirds also appeared.”

Ms Montello, of the New York Marine Rescue Center, said one factor that has been overlooked in recent observations is the increase in people flocking to New York’s waterways, docks, piers, riverfront parks and fishing spots, trying to escape the coronavirus pandemic and becoming accidental observers. .

“We’re seeing more animals, but we’re also seeing more public awareness,” Ms Montello said. She added that wildlife experts are increasingly concerned about accidental introductions.

“Many people tested their boating abilities during the pandemic,” he said. “It can be scary outside.”

Last year, Ms. Montello added that the rescue center has seen an increase in dead dolphins and live strandings, and the causes of the incidents often remain unclear. “More research is needed to understand what’s going on,” he said, including autopsies and other detailed studies of stricken animals and their aquatic environments.

“We haven’t seen a huge increase this year,” Ms Montello said. “But we’re just starting the season.”