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...

A whale rescue off the coast of Massachusetts drew attention after responders worked against the clock to free a young humpback whale tangled in fishing rope before a storm moved in. What Happened Boaters spotted a struggling humpback in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, an 842-square-mile protected area between Cape Ann and Cape Cod. The Provincetown-based Center for Coastal Studies sent out its Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team to respond. With storms forecast for the...

The right whale is seen gear-free in Cape Cod Bay on April 14, 2026 Photo Credit: New England Aquarium, taken under NOAA permit #25739-01 A young North Atlantic right whale observed in Cape Cod Bay just two months ago may now require rescue after aerial surveys detected it entangled in fishing gear in Canadian waters. On June 8, observers working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada spotted the whale near Shippigan, New Brunswick in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, with rope caught in its mouth and...