Experts explain why the incident depicted in a viral video was an accident caused by natural feeding behaviors.

When an 85,000-pound whale weighing humpback is soaring out of the ocean floor, nothing is in its path.

Brothers Wyatt and Colin Yager recently witnessed evidence of this near the shores from Odiorne Point in Rye, New Hampshire. They recorded the shocking moment when a humpback breached, and then crashed into the backside of a nearby small boat which sank, causing the vessel to capsize. Two people on board were thrown into the ocean but neither the passengers or the whale seemed to sustain any injuries.

A group of orcas was recently recorded ramming and destroying vessels near the shores of Iberian Peninsula, the humpback incident has led to some thinking that the whales haven’t risen up in protest.

(Why orcas are ramming boat? They could just be bored teens.)

Alisa Schulman-Janiger who is marine biologist and the principal researcher for the California Killer Whale Project, says that’s not the situation. “This was an accident,” she explains. “The whale did not attack the boat.”

This occurred as “a collision between a whale 100 percent focused on feeding, and a fishing boat dead in the water (not making any noise),” she declares. “In the video, you can see schooling fish jumping out of the water, and out of the whale’s expanded mouth.”

What causes humpbacks to break?

Humpback whales primarily consume small crustaceans, also known as Krill as well as entire fish schools like cod, anchovies, anchovies, capelin, and sand lance. In order to catch fish, marine mammals often drag their prey up to the surface using bubbles that confuse the fish into thinking they’re in a trap and are forced to climb up.

They leap towards the surface, with their mouths wide taking in the fish schools in one gulp.

In this instance, Schulman-Janiger mentions that the humpback was observed eating Atlantic menhaden for a few weeks in the Piscataqua River between Maine and New Hampshire. It’s an unusual event for this region, she notes.

The Coast Guard was apparently aware of the whale, which is the only species that was of this kind within the region and even sent warnings to mariners, so they could be on the lookout for the whale, according to Dianna Schulte the co-founder of and research director at the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation.

However Schulman-Janiger claims that the boat owners seem to have done nothing wrong. Their engines were not working and they weren’t trying to engage with the whale.

In zones in which baitfish (small species that breed quickly) are abundant, “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 an facebook post by the New England/Mid Atlantic department within NOAA Fisheries, “When feeding, humpback whales can be unpredictable and active at the surface.”

How do you ensure your safety in the vicinity of whales

Fortunately, being on the surface of a vessel did not stop the humpback from feeding. Schulman-Janiger explains that the reports from the scene suggest that following the incident, the whale continued to eat for the next four hours.

In addition, NOAA advises fishers not to cast lines or troll that are near humpbacks, or where there is obvious bubble net activity. If you notice a cloud of bubbles as you’re fishing, NOAA recommends that you remove the lines or equipment cautiously, if you can.

According to NOAA the boat should slow to 10 knots or less in whale hotspots in order to avoid collisions. This gives both the whale and you time to respond.

“A collision between a vessel, or an getting caught in fishing lines could result in serious injuries to the whale, and can even be fatal to the. Whales involved in collisions have been a source of destruction for boaters and resulted in serious injuries or even death to those who were in the vicinity.”