Around New York, whales are returning after decades of conservation work

This is the news reported by the Courrier International that arouses joy: from the ocean to the rivers, the waters surrounding the New York metropolis, from the rivers to the Atlantic coast, are cleaner than they seem for a century. The result of decades of conservation workwhich begins to bear fruit.

Whales and oysters in New York

In the 1960s, seeing a whale off New York was an event. The fault is the high pollution, in particular for the discharge of industrial pollutants and waste water, but also for the hunting of this species.

But starting in 1972, a collection of federal, state and local laws (the Clean Water ActL’Endangered species take action And Marine Mammal Protection Act) they are starting to impose regulations that lead to restoration, hence the conservation of offshore ecosystems Big Apple.

It took nearly fortyyears for the results of these policies to be observed by the inhabitants of the city, and second The Economist, they are amazing. Whales, humpback whales, sharks, seals, seahorses… It’s all a fauna that reappears on the coasts of one of the most densely populated cities in the world, in front of the skyscrapers.

News to celebrate, but the work is not done

Faced with the climate emergency, and at a time when many ecosystems are threatened by human activities and the disproportionate use of natural resources, we can only be happy tosee the results of this ambitious conservation policy of the environment.

But while New Yorkers are happy to see whales returning to their homes, the work is far from over. Thus, in 2017, an article byABC news he recalled:

Ensuring that the waters around New York remain a vital habitat, especially for whales, is a huge challenge. Whales face the same nuisances as New Yorkers, such as noise and intense maritime activity.

abcnews, Why whales are returning to the once polluted waters of New York City “by the ton”

Even the cleansing of the city’s waters, which all communicate with the ocean, is not finished. From the back of the New York Harbor to the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, a funny black layer still covers some of the waters: nicknamed black mayo (black mayonnaise) by the inhabitants of the city, it is the result of industrial pollution, of the untreated sewers in the rivers. water, and remnants of storms. In Brooklyn, the canal cleanup began in 2020 and is expected to last a decade.

Photo credit: Todd Cravens / Unsplash