The  Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) said Wednesday that a juvenile humpback whale swimming and breaching in Boston Harbor may cause minor delays to ferry service through Thursday, August 15.

CBSNews reports that the 2-year-old whale, estimated to be between 35 and 40 feet long, has been in Boston Harbor since the end of July. It likely followed prey into the harbor, explained Linnea Mayfield, the naturalist manager for Boston Harbor City Cruises. 

“It is in a very high risk area so it’s causing a lot of anxiety for a lot of people right now,” Mayfield told WBZ-TV. “Boston Harbor is an incredibly busy harbor.”

Mayfield says she saw the whale herself in an “incredibly precarious situation” close to large container ships in the harbor. Vessel strikes are the leading cause of death for whales, and Mayfield says it’s nerve-wracking to see videos on social media of boaters’ close encounters with the whale.

Biologists are hoping that the whale will soon follow its food out of the harbor and into safer waters. In the meantime, Mayfield explained that boaters should keep at least 100 feet away from the whale and not accelerate if they see it nearby.

Boaters warned to give young whale hanging out in Boston Harbor space

Thanks to Roberta Weisbrod for contributing to this post.