Humpback Spotted In Chesapeake Bay Likely Following Its Stomach

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A humpback whale spotted in the Chesapeake Bay was likely just following its stomach.

Alex DeMetrick reports the unusual visitor may have had a taste for Maryland seafood.

Humpback whales are migrating north right now. One was photographed last year off Ocean City, and this past week in the bay.

It was tough to see through rain and distance, but a humpback whale was spotted breaching off Solomon's Island.

"And that can be kind of fun play behavior, or it could be trying to communicate to other whales, just, 'Hey, I found a lot of food,'" said Jennifer Dittmar, National Aquarium.

These kinds of humpback whales work up quite an appetite as they migrate up and down coastlines. They aren't common visitors to the Chesapeake, but...

"We do get about one to two sightings a year of large whales that have traveled up into the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay. And most commonly, they'll move up into the middle of the bay to find food," said Dittmar.

They are common in the Monterey Bay, where whale-human interactions do happen.

Despite the occasional close-encounter, people pose more of a threat to whales than whales do to people.

"They become possible victims of boat strike injuries. This animal seems to have left the area on its own and wasn't harmed while it was here," said Dittmar.

The visit this week was too far away to see if it waved goodbye.

According to the National Aquarium's expert, a lack of sightings in the last few days is a strong indication the whale moved back down the bay toward the Atlantic.