Photo: Chris St Lawrence/Gotham Whale
In an incredible sighting, a marine researcher and conservationist spotted and shared footage and images of two dolphins swimming in the East River this weekend.
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Christopher St Lawrence, who works with Gotham Whale, a “team of dedicated researchers and volunteers” who research marine life in New York City’s waterways, spotted a pair of common dolphins near 96th Street in the East River on Saturday, according to a tweet. The pair of dolphins were seen between Manhattan and Mill Rock.
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“I was able to confirm and identify the Common Dolphins for Gotham Whale on February 14th after we received several reports from passersby of animals jumping around just off the FDR,” St Lawrence told East Side Feed in an email on Sunday afternoon. “Seeing them from Manhattan was incredible, especially since this is particular species is usually found further offshore, not seen from our city’s beaches (those ones are Bottlenose Dolphins).”
Photo: Chris St Lawrence/Gotham Whale
St. Lawrence added that it was his first time seeing dolphins in the East River, but that he had seen them “many times” while whale-watching in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn .
The sighting marks the latest evidence that clean-up efforts in New York’s once-notoriously polluted waterways are paying off; in late November of last year, a humpback whale was seen splashing around in the East River for the first time in two years, according to a report by the New York Post.
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“Not only is it a real testament to the decades of work put into cleaning up our water and improving our local marine ecosystem, but to me it is also the ultimate symbol of New York,” St Lawrence told East Side Feed.
Dolphins are rare visitors to the East River, but not completely uncommon, as a similar sighting took place around the same location in 2023.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, “Bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, pilot whales, and Risso’s dolphins can often be seen off the south shore of Long Island. Sightings of bottlenose dolphins are the most common since they live closer to shore in coastal waters like harbors and bays.”
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