Catherine Rusoff
A cruise ship sailed into a New York harbor with a 44-foot dead whale on its bow, maritime officials said.
The whale, identified as threatened with extinction whale knowwas caught off the bow of the ship as it arrived in Brooklyn Harbor on Saturday, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries spokeswoman Andrea Gomez.
An MSC Cruises spokesperson said the whale was on the MSC Meraviglia, which docked in Brooklyn before sailing to ports in New England and Canada.
“We immediately notified the competent authorities, who are now carrying out an examination of the whale,” cruise company officials said in a statement.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life,” officials said, adding that Geneva-based MSC Cruises follows all regulations designed to protect whales, such as altering itineraries in certain regions to avoid hitting animals.
The dead whale was relocated to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and towed to shore there to allow better access to equipment and perform a necropsy, Gomez said.
The necropsy, an autopsy on an animal, was performed Tuesday, Gomez said. Samples collected from the whale will help biologists determine whether it was already dead when it was hit by the ship, she said.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Sei whales are typically observed in deeper waters, away from shore, Gomez said. They are one of the largest species of whales and are internationally protected.
According to New York Department of Environmental Conservation, sei whales eat 2,000 pounds of fish and plankton per day. They can grow up to 18 meters long, weigh up to 50 tons and live on average between 50 and 70 years.
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The incident marks the latest endangered whale found dead along the East Coast. Last month, federal authorities said a North Atlantic right whale found floating 50 miles offshore east of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was killed in an accident. collision with a ship.
In March, NOAA he said the first North Atlantic right whale baby born this season had died after being run over by a ship.
Environmental groups have called for stricter regulations on commercial fishing and shipping to try to save the whales.
In Massachusetts, there is a proposal to put speed limits on fast ferries to Cape Cod and the islands to protect whales. Ferry companies argue this would drastically reduce service and say their captains have never seen a right whale in service.
