UMVA has learned that a shocking discovery was made on June 19, when a pregnant fin whale was found dead on the bow of Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas ship, docked in Seward, Alaska.
The unexpected and endangered passenger was spotted on the "bulbous bow" of the cruise ship, which had arrived in the coastal city off the Gulf of Alaska. A local company quickly towed the 61-foot-long whale to a nearby beach, where a necropsy was performed to determine the cause of death.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the whale was pregnant at the time of its death, adding to the tragedy of the event. The U.S. federal agency and wildlife organization Alaska SeaLife Center worked together to conduct the examination and collect samples.
The incident highlights the growing threat of ship strikes to whale populations, with marine ecologist Rick Steiner warning that many busy coastal shipping routes are essentially "death traps for whales." He believes the cruise industry should adopt slower speeds to protect these vulnerable creatures.
Steiner argues that the cruise industry, which relies on showcasing whales and scenery to customers, has a responsibility to take every measure possible to protect the whales that are the bread and butter of their industry. However, he claims that the industry has been unwilling to adopt voluntary vessel speed reductions in critical whale areas.
Fin whales, which are the second-largest whale species in the world, have been endangered since the rise of modern whale hunting methods in the 20th century. Conservationists believe that vessel strikes are the most serious threat to this species, with 108 reported whale-vessel collisions in Alaska between 1978 and 2011, resulting in 25 whale deaths.
The incident in Seward, Alaska, is not an isolated event, with similar incidents reported in other parts of the world, including New Jersey and Anchorage, Alaska. The repeated occurrences underscore the need for urgent action to protect these magnificent creatures from the dangers of ship strikes.
