Animals
Humpback Whale Whit Welles 7-28-16

Aquarium: Keep a Certain Distance from Whales in Long Island Sound

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You may have heard that a humpback whale was seen off of Westport on Friday. This is the third consecutive year that a humpback (or humpbacks) have been seen in the Sound, after NOT being here for … well, a century? ____________

— an announcement from the Maritime Aquarium

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The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk wishes to stress this:

Whales fall under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. There are federal restrictions on how closely you are allowed to approach them. See the attached. Early Friday afternoon, Westport police posted the video, above, on Facebook, with this statement:
After receiving calls of a whale near Cockenoe Island this morning, our Marine Unit responded and confirmed a large Humpback whale was visiting Westport.

Maritime Aquarium
Inflatable humpback whale 01-14-16

Humpback Whales are in Long Island Sound and — Until Sunday — at the Aquarium, Too

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See what it’s like to stand beside — and inside — a life-sized humpback whale in the “Giant Walk-In Whale,” part of the special fun Saturday and Sunday, when the 43-foot inflatable humpback whale returns to the aquarium’s central Newman’s Own Hall. “Guests can stand next to the whale to get a real sense of the scale of a whale,” said Dave Sigworth, the aquarium’s publicist. “Learning about whales, how big they are, and about whale behavior is even more important for Connecticut and New York residents now, because humpback whales have visited Long Island Sound each of the last two summers.”

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— an announcement from the Maritime Aquarium

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Guests can even play Jonah and go inside the whale to see the scale of its internal organs, including its lungs, heart and stomachs. (Yes, stomachs, plural. Most baleen whales have three stomach compartments.)

Also during “Celebrate Whales,” bonus educational stations will let Maritime Aquarium guests touch real baleen, experience first-hand how blubber keeps whales warm, and learn why whale populations still haven’t fully recovered from historic whaling practices.