Overview
- The cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, which arrived in Seward on June 19, was found with a 61-foot pregnant endangered fin whale draped on its bulbous bow.
- NOAA Fisheries Alaska performed an onshore necropsy that found blunt force trauma to the whale’s jaw, spine, and ribs, though the official cause of death remains pending after further lab tests.
- NOAA has taken custody of the carcass and opened a law enforcement inquiry; Royal Caribbean says it is cooperating with investigators.
- Officials plan to tow the whale back out to sea so it will sink and feed deep-sea life, and NOAA reported the animal was freshly dead and in good nutritional condition when examined.
- Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a whale killed in a vessel strike is legally a “take,” and the ongoing probe could lead to enforcement or new scrutiny of ship-whale collision risks and industry practices.