Experts, tourists react to humpback whale sightings in Penobscot Bay

STOCKTON SPRINGS, Maine (WABI) - Humpback whales are putting on a show in Penobscot Bay, catching the attention of tourists and locals.

For New Hampshire residents Katrine Barclay and Robert Cook, who spend their summers on a houseboat in the Penobscot Bay, they had an unexpected visitor on the morning of July 27.

“I woke up in the morning, around 7 a.m., and heard the sound of the whale taking a breath. I got up on deck and saw it again from a distance. It was swimming towards us. On first look I thought it was a porpoise,” said Cook, “Then I saw how big it was.”

The College of the Atlantic’s Allied Whale, a marine mammal research lab, have received reports of whale sightings along Stockton Springs and Searsport, as well as inshore sightings near Belfast Harbor and Bucks Harbor.

“Humpback whales in general are very normal visitors for the Gulf of Maine; they tend to come up to higher latitude waters during the summer to feed,” said Lubansky, Director of Photo Identification Research, “We’ve seen four different individual whales. Could be more as we look closer at the dorsal pictures that we have been getting.”

Lubansky says the whales have been taking advantage of higher concentrations of fish found closer to shore.

“This year in particular, we have been seeing more inshore sightings, and some of that is just linked to higher abundances of fish in this area than have been previously seen in the past. We have definitely seen increases in schools of fish like pogies, and what it seems like in this area, is that some of the younger whales, being a more exploratory, are just following their food,” said Lubansky.

While excitement is plentiful along the Penobscot Bay, researchers with Allied Whale are asking locals and visitors to remain cautious as well.

“They can come up very suddenly, and it could be scary for small boaters, and we also worry for the health and safety of the whales too,” said Lubansky.

If you are actively looking to spot whales while on water, stay 100 yards away and never approach them head on. Humpback whales lack echolocation, making their patterns hard to predict. Lubansky hopes that people in the area can appreciate the animals on both a spectacle and conservation level.

“I really do feel like one of the biggest approaches to conservation is getting people excited about them and caring about them. I hope that them seeing them in their own backyard really inspires some of that,” said Lubansky.

For Barclay and Cook, seeing one unexpectedly can create memories for a lifetime.

“It was one of those mornings that not many people were around, and we were just like, ‘Oh we hope other people see it’. There were other folks that stay on their boat, that saw the whale. it was beautiful. It really felt like it was a special treat,” said Barclay.