A cruise ship that sailed into New York City’s Port of Brooklyn with a deceased 44-foot endangered whale across its bow Saturday, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
Video taken on Saturday shows the cruise ship resting on the calm waters with lump of whale sticking out of its bow and the Statue of Liberty in the background.
The whale was identified as a sei whale, which is endangered, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fisheries spokeswoman Andrea Gomez, the AP reported. The sei whale is protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NOAA’s website reads. The overall number of these whales in American waters is not known, the website notes. (RELATED: Sperm Whales Battle Hunting Orcas With Cloud Of Diarrhea In Rarely Recorded Moment)
Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, director for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Ocean Giants Program, told the Brooklyn Paper that not much information was known about sei whales in New York and New Jersey. He reportedly added that acoustic detection revealed that they maintained a low-level presence in the area year round, with the largest number present from March to May.
“We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale,” officials of MSC Cruises, which owns the MSC Meraviglia, the ship in question, said, the AP reported. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life,” the officials reportedly added, emphasizing that the company follows regulations regarding whales.
A necropsy was conducted on the whale Tuesday by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), the organization said in a statement posted on Facebook. “The necropsy examination (animal autopsy) revealed evidence of tissue trauma along the right shoulder blade region, and a right flipper fracture. The whale’s gastrointestinal tract was also full of food. Most of the other organs were sampled as well for toxicology and other life history studies. Samples were collected and will be sent for histopathologic analysis. The tissue and bone samples collected will help biologists determine if the vessel interaction occurred pre or post mortem,” the AMCS wrote.
NOAA Gomez told the Brooklyn Paper via email that her agency encourages ships along the East Coast to slow down, remain alert and report any injured or deceased whales.