Elsewhere, trouble can lurk for whales in shallow waters. About 80 miles from Manhattan, a humpback whale spent a week stuck in Moriches Bay, off the southern coast of Long Island.
On Tuesday, the juvenile whale remained trapped on a sandbar, unable to free itself in four feet of water for two days.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York offered more assistance to those agencies already monitoring the whale.
"I have directed the Department of Environmental Conservation to make available all state equipment and resources, and coordinate with NOAA on a plan to ensure the well-being of the stranded whale," Mr. Cuomo said in a statement on Tuesday.
The whale was lured here about a week ago by the promise of fish and the strong tides of the supermoon, but hope for its escape is fading fast. Ms. Goebel said that the outlook for the whale was not good, and that the animal might require euthanasia in the coming days.
Chuck Bowman, the president of the Riverhead Foundation, which studies marine life, said on Tuesday that the group was awaiting guidance from NOAA.