Second Fin Whale Found Aboard Alaska Cruise Ship

A juvenile or subadult male fin whale was found dead on the bulbous bow of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Joy as the ship approached Sitka, Alaska, on Sept. 17, delaying docking by about two hours. NOAA’s Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network and law-enforcement officials are investigating, while cruise-line officials say they are cooperating with authorities and scientific experts. The whale was removed with assistance from tug and pilot boats and towed away for possible examination, though it later sank, complicating efforts to conduct a necropsy. Officials have not determined where or when the whale was struck, and visible injuries and the ongoing investigation have not established a cause of death. The incident underscores the risk vessel strikes pose to endangered fin whales and follows a separate Alaska case in June in which a necropsy linked a whale’s death to blunt-force trauma from a vessel strike.