Dolphin Spotted Swimming In The East River Near Roosevelt Island And Upper East Side During Last Several Days - Credit 1970's Roosevelt Island Pioneer PS/IS 217 Teacher For Being Part Of The East River Clean Up Transformation Says Former Student

Dolphin seen swimming in Manhattan's East River https://t.co/FzngeKxnjc pic.twitter.com/Y0IdbVsd5V

— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) April 11, 2023

Roosevelt Island resident Bojana Zezelj reported last Saturday on the Roosevelt Island Friends Facebook page:

Dolphins spotted in East River! Saw one just minutes ago in the waters below Blackwell House! Sorry, it didn’t appear above the surface long enough for me to take a photo, but some people were filming and I hear something has already been posted somewhere. A man told me there were two, but I only saw one at a time. In any case, a most beautiful sighting!

Bob Babcock, an original Roosevelt Island resident, adds:

When I worked on the launch of NYWaterTaxi in 97 (my cover letter, describing life on the East river, and seeing the changes over time, secured the job) we saw dolphins in the lower harbor by Governors Island. The Gowanus was still a toxic stew, but the waterways around NYC had greatly improved since we moved to the Island in 1975 when the joke on Barney Miller was the you don’t drown in the East River, you dissolve.

Much of the credit for this transformation should go to a Roosevelt Island pioneer and her cadre of environmentalists: Sally Leifer, the first teacher assigned to PS/IS217, was part of the protest to GE’s pollution at Storm King, that led in part to the passing of the EPA. She went on to help establish the first Environmentally-focused public school in NYC. Her friend, Tom Fox, a Ranger at Gateway National Park (who taught us about horseshoe crabs and mollusk beds), went on to found the Greenway Project, to restore the New York City waterfront, which ultimately became Hudson River Park. 

So dolphins out your window are courtesy of a long history of concerned citizens working to protect the environment, getting regulation passed, and then continued vigilance. Be a part of it.

Two videos of DOLPHINS in East river this morning pic.twitter.com/irCRAgOjnR

— Ornithologicaljustice (@Ornithologica19) April 9, 2023

We had one more- eventually many photographers shot it. It’s the north end of Carl Schulz park at the upper east side ferry terminal looking east to Randall’s I believe —

— Ornithologicaljustice (@Ornithologica19) April 10, 2023

Can’t believe I saw a DOLPHIN swimming in the east river during my run today. So cool!#eastriver #dolphin #nyc pic.twitter.com/6Fo2Kf4qYV

— Bill Zammarrelli (@BillzamMD) April 11, 2023

In a possible good sign for the water quality of the East River, a dolphin was recently spotted swimming around 96th St:https://t.co/EttFZvoPQR

— Green Shores NYC (@GreenShoresNYC) April 11, 2023

Here's a 2022 story from WPIX News about researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society and NY Aquarium studying dolphins in the NY waters.

Keep a look out for East River dolphins. Snap a photo or take video and share.