Dolphins spotted swimming in New York City’s Bronx River

Once an industrial waste dump, the Bronx River is now healthy enough to be home to marine life, including dolphins.

To spider wetzel

New York City residents were delighted by the unexpected arrival of dolphins in the city’s Bronx River this week. It is welcomed as the result of our efforts.

The 39-kilometer-long Bronx River was once a busy waterway, but in the 19th and 20th centuries it became a dumping ground for people and industrial waste. Once abundant species such as dolphins, turtles and fish have plummeted.

Since then, more than $10 million in federal funding has helped repair damaged waterways, and in 2007, the city welcomed its first beaver in over 200 years. The river is now home to a wide variety of aquatic life, from oysters and crabs to beavers and sand turtles, but restoration efforts are not yet complete.

Dolphins are rarely seen in New York City’s waters, but on the night of January 16, a resident of Starlight Park in the Bronx captured video of multiple dolphins’ dorsal fins breaking through the water.

It’s true that dolphins were spotted in the Bronx River this week. This is great news. It shows that decades of efforts to restore the river as a healthy habitat are paying off. These dolphins are believed to have naturally found their way to the river in search of fish.
(Video: Nick Banco) pic.twitter.com/40ZNgBjJZs

— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) January 19, 2023

The last reported sighting of dolphins in the area was in 2013, and the last time bottlenose dolphins appeared in the city’s much larger East River was in 2021. Recent marine visitors likely entered the Bronx River in search of fish, according to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

Authorities are asking residents to stay 50 meters away from dolphins and minimize animal disturbance.

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