As the cruise ship approached New York on Saturday, it turned out to be carrying a sinister and unexpected catch: the corpse of a 44-foot-long endangered whale, draped over its bow.
The whale, which maritime authorities described as a bowhead, is known for its fast swimming and preference for deep waters, away from the coast. His body was discovered as the ship approached the Brooklyn cruise terminal, and authorities were “immediately informed,” said MSC Cruises, the ship’s owner.
A company spokeswoman said in an email that it had put “comprehensive measures” in place to avoid such collisions, including training deck officers and changing routes in certain areas to avoid them. “We will continue to evaluate and update our procedures with our partners and authorities,” she said.
Marine authorities said they towed the animal, estimated to weigh about 50,000 pounds, from the bow and transferred it by boat to a beach in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, where they conducted a necropsy Tuesday. .
The investigation continues, but preliminary findings are fractures in the whale’s right fin; tissue trauma along his right shoulder blade; a full stomach and a good layer of fat — all indicated that the animal was otherwise healthy when it was likely struck and killed by the ship, said Robert A. DiGiovanni, the Atlantic’s chief scientist. Marine Conservation Society, which is leading the investigation.
The whale was already “pretty decomposed” by the time scientists began the necropsy, he added, so they worked quickly to collect samples that could be tested for contaminants and other biotoxins that would indicate anything other relevant health problem. “It appears the animal was alive and was hit by a ship,” he said, emphasizing that investigators had not ruled out other factors.
Mr. Giovanni said his conservation group, authorized by the federal government to respond to marine mammal strandings in New York, had treated about 100 whales in recent years, many of which had been entangled in nets or struck by ships. Most of these whales were humpbacks and North Atlantic right whales, he added, noting that it was rarer to come across a sei whale.
Sei whales typically live in subtropical, temperate, and subpolar waters and are named after the Norwegian word for pollock, “seje,” because the mammals are often found with fish. Their long, sleek bodies are usually dark blue or black with a cream-colored underside and are often marked by shark and lamprey bites.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, whales were commercially hunted for their meat and oil, decimating their population, which is now designated as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Mr Giovanni said the death was a reminder that humans shared open waters with many other mammals. “When you’re out there, those animals could be there,” he said. “We need to make people more aware of how to act around these animals. »
A spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said by email that East Coast mariners are encouraged to slow their vessels, remain vigilant and report any sightings of dead, injured or entangled whales to authorities.
News Source : www.nytimes.com
Gn usa
