Environment

Rare Fin Whale Carcass Found on Cruise Ship Bow in Vancouver

by Amy Judd | July 26, 2009 at 03:16 pm

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A rare fin whale's carcass was found on a cruise ship bow as it docked in Vancouver after a week long sailing from Vancouver to Alaska.

The ship, Sapphire Princess, was arriving in Vancouver, when the crew saw the body of the dead endangered whale stuck to its hull. It is not clear at this time if the cruise ship hit it, or if it collided with its body when it traveled through the water.

The fin whale is huge; it is 70 feet long, and is the second largest living animal, second only to the blue whale. The fin whales were once prosperous in the world, but commercial whaling have dwindled their numbers to only about 30,000. Fin whales are threatened by cruise ships, and although strikes like this aren't common, whales can be killed by such large sailing vessels.

Princess Cruises said in a statement: “We were shocked and saddened by this discovery, and sincerely regret the circumstances which led to the whale’s death.

“We are not aware that any whales were sighted as the ship sailed through the Inside Passage to Vancouver yesterday.

“We take our responsibility to be good stewards of the marine environment very seriously, and have clear guidelines for our ships on how to operate if whales are sighted nearby, which include altering course and reducing speed as required.”

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Barry ORegan

at 22:15 on July 26th, 2009

Tragic,it has been said the whale may have been already dead, though they have been known to bask just under the surface to warm themselves by the sun.