Whales Love New York After Clean-Up Worked for Harbor Water

New environmental laws over the past eight years have improved water quality in New York Harbor and led the whale population around New York City to shoot up by the hundreds.

20 years ago, waters in the area were among the most polluted in the world, filled with toxic chemicals and waste. But when U.S. nonprofit organization Gotham Whale spotted five humpback whales in 2011, there was hope for revival.

This year, there are already 377 cetaceans of different species around New York.

This is all thanks to the help of The Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and more successful environmental policies taking action to improve water quality and decrease pollution levels, bringing back to life vital plants and fish in the seas that act as food for the whales.

“Anytime you see a whale in these waters, it’s an amazing thing,” says naturalist Celia Ackerman.