A cruise ship arrives in New York Harbor with a sei whale carcass strapped to its bow. The discovery prompted a federal investigation, and biologists began examining the whale's carcass to determine the cause of death.
The MSC Meraviglia entered the Brooklyn cruise terminal on Saturday with a 44-foot sei whale strapped to its bow as it returned from a Bermuda cruise. Geneva-based cruise company MSC acknowledged the incident in a statement with “deep regret” and said it had immediately notified authorities. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement is investigating.
On Wednesday, the whale was towed to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, for a necropsy. According to NOAA, authorities found a fractured right flipper, tissue damage to the right shoulder blade area, and an abdomen filled with food. Biologists took samples for biotoxin and histopathological analysis. NOAA spokeswoman Andrea Gomez said the tissue and bone samples will help biologists determine whether the whale died before the collision with the ship or as a result of the collision.
The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society is leading the testing of the whale. Kathleen Collins, senior marine campaigns manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said test results could take days or weeks.
Based on research published so far, Andy Logan, science manager at Ocean Alliance, a whale research and conservation nonprofit, said the cruise ship may have caused the whale's death. Ta. If so, it would have been sudden death.
“A whale is a huge animal, but compared to a ship of that size, it's still a big impact. There's a tremendous amount of weight and force hitting that whale,” he said. “It's almost certain that that whale died in a collision with a ship.''
Ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the biggest threats to sei whales, an endangered species that lives in deep waters off the coast, according to NOAA. Population numbers are elusive, but NOAA recorded approximately 6,300 sei whales between Florida and Nova Scotia from 2010 to 2013.
Sei whales feed at this time of year, and Collins said the whales feed on the surface, which could lead to a collision with the bow of a ship. He said the ship's size meant the crew and passengers may not have felt the impact. MSC Meraviglia weighs 171,598 tons. Sei whales can weigh up to 50 tons.
“It's a really tragic incident where this attack probably happened and no one was aware of it until it was in port,” Collins said. “They probably don't even know exactly where they hit the whale.”
NOAA urges boaters traveling along the East Coast to proceed slowly, remain vigilant and report any sightings of right whales, dead, injured or entangled whales. In a statement, the MSC said it had taken comprehensive measures to avoid incidents with marine life, including training deck staff with the Marine Research and Conservation Institute and adjusting itineraries in areas where whales live.
Mr Collins said collisions could be avoided by voluntarily reducing the vessel's speed. But cruise ships and large tankers prefer active travel because of their tight schedules, she said.
The Cruise Lines International Association did not respond to a request for comment on the industry's safety protocols.
“If you reduce vessel speed, the mortality rate from vessel collisions decreases considerably,” Collins said.
Lifeguards on deck will also help cruise ships avoid whales, she said. These crews are trained to look for whales in particularly important locations. Agencies such as marine agencies and the Coast Guard, as well as the Whale Alert app, share information about whale sightings and locations.
Mr Logan said there was no “silver bullet” to help ships avoid whales, but advances in technology could reduce the threat. He said hydrophones can pick up whale sounds, and NOAA can disseminate that information to ships. Logan said at a recent workshop he learned about infrared cameras that can detect whales within a 360-degree range, especially in front of a vessel.
Logan on Thursday called on the public to share their anger over the incident with government agencies and cruise lines. Collins said he hopes the incident will spur the cruise industry to act as better stewards of the waters it shares with vulnerable marine life.
He said the MSC Meraviglia was heading to Canada, a key location for North Atlantic right whales, including mother whales and their newborn calves.
correction
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the maximum weight of sei whales. It's 50 tons instead of 10 tons. The article has been corrected.
