To study, advocate for, and educate about the whales and marine mammals of New York City, through Citizen Science. As the largest city in the United States, New York has a long heritage of maritime history. From colonial times its waters have been exploited, depleting its fisheries and diminishing its population of marine mammals. Recently, the efforts of regulators, environmental groups, and New York citizens have greatly improved the conditions of the Hudson River and waters in and around New York Harbor. With these improvements, the biological food chain has rebounded, supporting a diverse ecology, from oysters to whales. The waters of New York now are a feeding ground for seals, dolphins, and whales.
Gotham Whale intends to inform and contribute to the public knowledge as whales meet New Yorkers. The juxtaposition of wild populations of marine mammals; seals, dolphins, and whales, with the millions of people that inhabit The City, can be the source of intriguing knowledge, incredible enjoyment, and sometimes, tragic disruption. Gotham Whale will be a source of education, advocacy, and science for the inhabitants of New York, terrestrial and marine.
Citizen Science is a movement to include average citizens in scientific research allowing them to make systematic observations, to collect and process data, and provide general support for scientific study. The Audubon Societys Christmas Bird Count, running since 1900, is an excellent example. Gotham Whale will emulate that model with the vast citizen pool that is New York City. The whale watching activities of the American Princess and other boatmen provide a platform to collect data and make observations. The many eyes of the pubic make sightings more probable. Gotham Whale will serve as a depository for that data. Participants provide photographs of the flukes of humpback whales that have unique patterns, serving as individual identification markings much as fingerprints do in humans. These data will be combined, evaluated, and shared with the scientific community through publications, cooperative studies, and the New York Humpback Whale Catalog. By working closely with other concerned organizations, Gotham Whale will contribute to the improving health of New Yorks marine environment, for the betterment of both humans and whales.
Progress reports
By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
Type of commitment
SHIPPING
- Other (please specify): monitoring whale/shipping interaction
By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation
Type of commitment
Quantification
- Advocacy for fishery managament and Ocean Planning through Lobbying, education, and public comment
Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries
Type of commitment
- Research capacity development
- Scientific cooperation
December 2017
Inform and education over 10,000 New Yorkers on board the American Princess whale and seal watch tour.
December 2017
Complie distribution satistics and mapping of whales and marine mammals in the water around New York
December 2017
Publish findings regarding feeding behaviors of humpback whales in the Western New York Bight
December 2018
Institute a Citizen Science Program (WANTED) to collect sighting data from public observations/Share program and technology with Nature Tropicale, a whale watching research NGO in Benin, W. Africa
Benin
