It's not every day that a whale shows up near the Gowanus Canal, so today is a good a day as any to offer a map and answers to some Gowanus Whale FAQs. (As of 1PM, the whale is still there and, in fact, has moved a bit upstream in the direction of Hamilton Avenue.)
1) What kind of whale is it? The whale, which has been nicknamed Sludgie, is a Minke Whale which is a kind of Baleen Whale. Fortunately, they are not an endangered species.
2) Will it live? Indications are the whale is healthy, but we're not sure how whales do in sewage, and the Gowanus has had a lot of sewage dumped into it in recent days. Hopefully, the whale will come to its senses and flee.
3) Will it boost real estate values? Definitely. So far, the whale has generated 164 positive news stories for Gowanus. Although both the proposed Toll Brothers Gowanus "urban village" and Boymelgreen's Gowanus Village are upstream, Sludgie could help them make the case that the Gowanus is ready for prime time. "Steps from vibrant marine life." "Live with the Whales." Etc. We also hear the Gowanus Holiday Inn Express is thinking about advertising whale watching tours.
· Young Whale Found in New York Harbor [AP/NYT]
· CurbedWire: Whale...Yes, A Whale in the Gowanus Canal [Curbed]