On June 19, a 61-foot adult female fin whale was discovered dead on the bulbous bow of Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas cruise ship after it docked in Seward, Alaska. The whale, which was pregnant, was towed to a nearby beach for necropsy by NOAA Fisheries Alaska and the Alaska SeaLife Center.
Ship Strikes a Leading Threat to Fin Whales
Fin whales are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, with vessel strikes being one of the most serious threats. According to NOAA Fisheries, ship strikes are a leading cause of whale deaths in American waters. Marine ecologist Rick Steiner told KTUU that many busy coastal shipping routes are 'death traps for whales.'
Steiner criticized the cruise industry for not adopting voluntary speed reductions in critical whale habitats. Ships often travel at 22-24 knots, while Steiner recommends speeds of 10 knots or less during the day and 8 knots or less at night to reduce collision risks.
Data on Whale-Vessel Collisions
Between 1978 and 2011, there were 108 reported whale-vessel collisions in Alaska, with 25 resulting in whale deaths, according to the Journal of Marine Biology. Fin whales, the second-largest whale species after blue whales, are found in all oceans. Their populations were decimated by 20th-century whaling, with about 725,000 killed in the Southern Hemisphere alone, CBS News reported.
Recent Incidents Highlight Ongoing Risk
Earlier this year, a fin whale was found dead on a ship's bow in Camden County, New Jersey. In November 2024, a fin whale carcass washed up near a coastal trail in Anchorage, Alaska. Conservationists emphasize that vessel strikes remain a critical threat to fin whale recovery.
NOAA Fisheries reminded the public that it is illegal to collect any part of the whale unless for Alaska Native subsistence or handicraft use.
