Photographs of an injured humpback whale in Glacier Bay taken before and after the deep gash behind its dorsal fin occurred. (National Park Service photos by Janet Neilson, taken under the authority of Scientific Research Permit #27027 issued by NOAA Fisheries)
Officials at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve say a humpback whale suffered a severe injury after being hit by a boat.
The park is asking the public for information on the circumstances surrounding the “apparent whale-vessel collision” that occurred sometime in late June, according to a statement issued Tuesday.
A biologist on June 27 documented the whale near Willoughby Island with a roughly 12-inch-deep gash behind its dorsal fin that appeared to be a fresh injury from contact with a vessel propeller, park officials said. The biologist said the whale, an adult of unknown sex sighted in Glacier Bay and Icy Strait since 2013, “was diving and appeared to be behaving normally,” the statement said.
Park biologists are consulting with marine mammal experts to understand the whale’s likelihood of survival with such a severe injury, officials said.
This isn’t the first vessel strike of the year: Another biologist last week documented an adult female whale with a new shallow propeller wound behind her dorsal fin near Pleasant Island in Icy Strait, the statement said.
Two whales died in boat strikes last year. The whales were found in Icy Strait, a popular destination for fishermen, sightseeing and cruise ship tourists that surrounds the communities of Hoonah, Gustavus and Elfin Cove.
Humpback whales return each summer to Southeast Alaska to feed on fish and krill. The National Park Service reduces the potential for whale strikes with regulations including limits on the number of vessels and how they travel within Glacier Bay in areas where whales congregate.
Anyone with pertinent information regarding what may have happened to the severely injured whale, #2583, is asked to contact the park at 907-697-2230.