NEED TO KNOW
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A dead pregnant fin whale was found on the bow of Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas in Alaska
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NOAA Fisheries is investigating the incident and reminded the public that it is illegal to collect parts of the whale
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Fin whales are endangered and highly vulnerable to vessel strikes
A cruise ship arrived in Seward, Alaska, on Friday, June 19, with a dead fin whale on its bow, according to officials.
NOAA Fisheries Alaska confirmed the incident in a Sunday, June 21, Facebook post. “On Friday, June 19, a cruise ship arrived at the dock in Seward, Alaska, with a dead fin whale on top of the ship’s bulbous bow. A local company towed the whale to a nearby beach for a necropsy (animal autopsy),” the post read.
According to NOAA, the whale was a 61-foot adult pregnant fin whale. The agency warned people to stay off the beach at the necropsy site to allow space for teams to perform the examination and collect samples.
A fin whale.
Credit: Francois Gohier/Universal Images Group via Getty
“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,” the agency said in its statement.
NOAA said its Office of Law Enforcement is investigating, and anyone with information can call a 24-hour hotline at 800-853-1964.
Photos shared on social media obtained by CruiseHive show that the cruise ship involved was the Royal Caribbean vessel Ovation of the Seas, which has a maximum capacity of just under 5,000 guests.
Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
A dead fin whale in Torrance, Ca., in August 2024.
Credit: DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty
The second-largest animal on the planet, fin whales are considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act and depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The species is found throughout the world’s oceans.
According to NOAA, fin whales are “probably the most vulnerable species” to vessel strikes after North Atlantic right Whales.
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In January, a 30-foot fin whale was found dead on the front of a container ship docked at a New Jersey marine terminal.
According to The Independent, the U.S. Coast Guard alerted wildlife officials on Sunday, Jan. 4, around 11:15 p.m. after the massive mammal was spotted wedged against the bow of a ship sitting at the Gloucester Marine Terminal, located along the Delaware River just south of Philadelphia in Gloucester City, N.J.
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