Endangered fin whale found dead on cruise ship's bow in Alaska
Officials are investigating how the 61-foot fin whale, later found to be pregnant, ended up on the vessel before it docked in Seward.
A reported 157 false killer whales were found stranded on a remote beach in Tasmania, Australia. Officials made the decision to euthanize them after bad weather and rough ocean conditions made it impossible to refloat them.
A dead fin whale was found on a cruise ship as it docked in Seward, Alaska, on Friday, according to wildlife officials.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Alaska, the 61-foot, adult female whale was discovered “on top of the ship’s bulbous bow” after the vessel arrived at the dock.
A local company towed the whale to a nearby beach, where NOAA and the Alaska SeaLife Center are performing a necropsy, or animal autopsy, to determine the cause of death. Initial findings show that the fin whale was pregnant.
In an update from NOAA Fisheries Alaska, examination revealed blunt force trauma consistent with a vessel strike, however, official cause of death testing can take months to complete. The carcass will likely be taken out to sea, where it will sink and provide nourishment for marine life.
A dead fin whale was found on top of a cruise ship that had docked in Seward on Friday, June 19. (Image credit: Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center, MMPA/ESA Permit #24359)
NOAA advised people to stay off the beach and avoid the site as experts investigate and collect samples.
The NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement is also investigating the incident, and anyone with information is urged to contact the 24-hour enforcement hotline.
A dead fin whale was found on top of a cruise ship that had docked in Seward on Friday, June 19. (Image credit: Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center, MMPA/ESA Permit #24359)
According to NOAA, fin whales are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. They are the second-largest whale species on Earth, and their name comes from a prominent fin on their back, near their tail.
The biggest threat to fin whales is ship strikes, NOAA experts say. This species is likely the most vulnerable to these incidents after the North Atlantic Right Whale.
NOAA leaders emphasize the importance of protecting these endangered whales.
“We remind the public that it is illegal for anyone to collect tissue, baleen or any part of the whale, unless you are an Alaska Native collecting tissue or parts for subsistence or use in handicrafts,” NOAA Fisheries Alaska said.
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