Why did a humpback whale capsize a boat? Here’s what really happened.

In this case, Schulman-Janiger says the humpback in question had been observed feeding on Atlantic menhaden for several days in the Piscataqua River between Maine and New Hampshire—an unusual occurrence for that area, she notes.

The Coast Guard was apparently aware of the whale, the only one of its kind in the area, and had even issued notices to mariners so that they could watch out for it, according to Dianna Schulte, co-founder and director of research for the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation.

All of that said, Schulman-Janiger says the boat operators appear to have done nothing wrong. Their engine was off, and they were not trying to interact with the whale. 

In areas where baitfish (small, fast-breeding species) are concentrated, “humpback whales will gladly take advantage of the easy meal and may have little regard for what is on the surface, including boats,” according to a Facebook post from the New England/Mid-Atlantic department of NOAA Fisheries, “When feeding, humpback whales can be unpredictable and active at the surface.”

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Fortunately, even landing on a human vessel wasn’t enough to deter the humpback from feasting. Schulman-Janiger notes that reports from the scene suggested that after the encounter, the whale continued to feed for another four hours.