Press Releases

July 26, 2000
Whale Watches With CRESLI

Contact:
Darren Johnson
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081

Whale watches led by Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island (CRESLI) researchers are taking place through September 3. The trips started July 1 and each has been fruitful, with at least two whales and scores of other marine animals spotted per voyage.

CRESLI senior scientists will act as on-board naturalists, providing narration about New York's cetaceans, pelagic birds and other marine organisms, while conducting research on feeding, behavioral and population ecology of fin whales and other species. CRESLI educators will provide hands-on demonstrations and CRESLI volunteers will assist in all aspects of the research and education programs.

Whale watches take place Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through September 3. Ticket pick-up and boarding begin at 9:30 a.m. at Viking Dock on Montauk and the boat departs at 10:30 a.m. Reservations are recommended, but are not necessary. Tickets are $38/$35 seniors/$20 children ages 5-12. The trips last from four to seven hours. Cameras, binoculars, layers of clothing, sunscreen and rubber-soled shoes are highly recommended. CRESLI's whale research is being conducted with the assistance of students and faculty from Southampton College of Long Island University, where the program is based.

All CRESLI whale watches are open to the public. Please contact CRESLI for details and reservations at 631-287-8223, or visit their web site, www.cresli.org.

What's been spotted so far:

July 01: three minke whales; loggerhead sea turtle; Wilson's storm petrels; Parasitic jaeger; immature northern gannet; sooty shearwaters; Cory's shearwaters; greater shearwaters.

July 06: two fin whales (mother and calf pair); Wilson's storm petrels; mako shark.

July 07: two fin whales (mother and calf pair); Wilson's storm petrels.

July 08: five fin whales (including another mother calf pair); Wilson's storm petrels

July 20: three fin whales; hundreds of Wilson's storm petrels; scores of sooty shearwaters; Cory's shearwaters; greater shearwaters.

July 21: two fin whales; minke whale; hundreds of Wilson's storm petrels; scores of sooty shearwaters; Cory's shearwaters; greater shearwaters; immature and adult northern gannets.

July 22: four fin whales (two cow/calf pairs); scores of Wilson's storm petrels; scores of sooty shearwaters; Cory's shearwaters; greater shearwaters.