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Dead Fin Whale Found on Cruise Ship's Bow in Alaska
- Maris Balsom
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
A cruise ship arrived at a dock in Seward, Alaska, on June 19 with a dead fin whale lodged on its bulbous bow, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Alaska. Fin whales are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
The whale, a 61-foot adult female, was discovered on the vessel upon its arrival at port. A local company towed the animal to a nearby beach, where a team began preparations for a necropsy — an animal autopsy — to establish the cause of death.
In a statement released June 21, NOAA Fisheries said it was working with the Alaska SeaLife Center to conduct the necropsy. The agency noted that initial findings indicate the whale was pregnant at the time of death. NOAA Fisheries asked the public to avoid the necropsy site, citing safety and the need to allow space for the team to perform the examination and collect samples.The NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident .
Royal Caribbean Group confirmed that the vessel involved was one of its ships. The company said the crew reported the strike right away and said it was "saddened to hear that one of our ships struck a whale." Royal Caribbean added that it is cooperating with NOAA while awaiting the necropsy results.
Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, was critical of the circumstances surrounding the whale's death and called for a full investigation into how it happened. He argued that the underlying fix is broader than any single incident, pointing to mandatory speed limits in whale hot spots as a measure shown to significantly cut the risk of such deaths.
What are fin whales?
Fin whales rank as the second-largest whale species after blue whales and are classified as endangered by NOAA. A full-grown fin whale can stretch up to 85 feet and weigh between 40 and 80 tons.
The species takes its name from a fin located near its tail, and it can be found in oceans worldwide, typically favoring deep, offshore waters far from the coast in temperate to polar latitudes.
Like other large whales, fin whales were heavily depleted by commercial whaling in past decades. Their numbers have gradually rebounded thanks to conservation efforts. While whaling is no longer a factor, the species still faces threats from vessel strikes, fishing gear entanglement, underwater noise, and climate change.
Fin whales, along with all marine mammals, are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, which prohibits disturbing, feeding, harassing, hunting, or capturing them.
A pattern of deadly encounters
Vessel strikes and entanglements have remained persistent hazards for whales worldwide in recent years. The nonprofit International Marine Mammal Project estimates that roughly 20,000 whales die from ship strikes globally each year, with large species — fin, humpback, gray, and blue whales — most commonly affected in busy shipping lanes and along migratory routes.
Similar incidents have made headlines repeatedly. Between late 2022 and early 2023, more than 20 whales died along the East Coast, including North Atlantic right whales, humpbacks, pilot whales, and orcas, with several deaths tied to human activity such as boat strikes. In 2024, NOAA reported that multiple North Atlantic right whales died from injuries consistent with vessel strikes. By mid-2025, the California Academy of Sciences and the Marine Mammal Center had confirmed 24 whale deaths in the greater San Francisco Bay Area for the year.
Earlier this year, a dead whale was found on the bow of a ship arriving at a marine terminal in New Jersey; the Marine Mammal Stranding Center tentatively identified it as a fin whale.
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