A whale struck by a Princess Cruises’ ship in Alaska was “likely” to have already been dead, according to an official report.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service found that the humpback whale discovered last Wednesday draped across the bow of Sapphire Princess was probably dead before it was struck by the ship.
Sapphire Princess was in Tracy Arm en route to Juneau at the time of the discovery.
The report said: “Ship strikes with large whales in Alaska appear to be increasing, which may be a result of an increasing population of humpback whales in the North Pacific as well as greater reporting effort.
“Mariners are urged to slow their speeds when whales are spotted in the vicinity of travel, as well as when travelling in areas of known whale density such as Frederick Sound, Icy Strait, Chatham Strait and Lynn Canal.
“Vessels are encouraged to post lookouts and to travel with utmost vigilance at night.”
A Princess Cruises spokeswoman said: “I would like to reiterate that we have strict whale avoidance procedures in place when our ships are in the vicinity of marine life.”