Humpback Whale Capsizes Boat Off New Hampshire Coast: An Accidental Encounter
A humpback whale capsized a small fishing boat off the coast of Odiorne Point in Rye, New Hampshire. The incident, which has garnered widespread attention online, was captured on video by brothers Wyatt and Colin Yager, who witnessed the massive marine mammal breach and land on the vessel, sending its occupants tumbling into the water. Fortunately, neither the people nor the whale sustained any injuries.
On a clear morning, the Yager brothers were out fishing when they noticed a humpback whale repeatedly breaching nearby. Anticipating another breach, Colin Yager pulled out his phone and recorded the moment the whale surfaced and struck the 23-foot motorboat, capsizing it. The boat’s occupants, Ryland Kenney and Greg Paquette, were experienced fishermen who had been aware of the whale’s presence and had tried to keep their distance.
“We saw it come up, and I was just like, ‘Oh no, it’s going to hit the boat!’ and then it started to flip,” Colin recounted. The video shows the whale’s mouth open, indicating it was lunge feeding, a natural behavior where whales surge to the surface with their mouths open to catch fish.
Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a marine biologist and lead research biologist for the California Killer Whale Project, explained that the incident was an accident. “The whale did not attack the boat,” she said. “It was a collision between a whale 100 percent focused on feeding, and a fishing boat dead in the water (not making any noise).” In the video, schooling fish can be seen jumping out of the water, driven to the surface by the whale’s feeding strategy.
Humpback whales typically feed on small crustaceans and schools of fish by releasing curtains of bubbles to herd their prey. The whale involved in the accident had been observed feeding on Atlantic menhaden in the Piscataqua River for several days, an unusual occurrence for the area.
The U.S. Coast Guard was aware of the whale’s presence and had issued notices to mariners to watch out for it. After the boat capsized, a good Samaritan rescued Kenney and Paquette from the water, and the Coast Guard reported no injuries. The whale appeared uninjured and continued feeding for several hours after the encounter.
Sara Morris of the University of New Hampshire Shoals Marine Laboratory noted that the whale likely did not know the boat was there. “If you look at the video really carefully, you can see that the whale has its mouth open,” she said. “It looks like it’s lunge feeding and actually trying to catch fish.”
NOAA Fisheries advises boaters to slow to 10 knots in whale hotspots to prevent collisions and allow both the boat and the whale time to react. They also recommend fishers avoid casting lines or trolling near humpbacks or visible bubble netting activity. Entanglement in fishing lines and collisions with vessels can cause serious injuries or even be fatal to whales, and can also result in severe injuries or death to boaters.
The incident serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of nature and the importance of respecting marine life. While it may be tempting to get close to these magnificent creatures, it is crucial to maintain a safe distance and follow guidelines to ensure the safety of both humans and wildlife.