Whale killed by Cruise Ship

So sad, a huge fin whale was killed by a cruise ship near Vancouver. The captain of the Westerdam explained how they are very careful when whales are spotted, but perhaps this was unavoidable.

So sad, a huge fin whale was killed by a cruise ship near Vancouver. The captain of the Westerdam explained how they are very careful when whales are spotted, but perhaps this was unavoidable.

That is sad, but I'm sure unavoidable.

The story is evolving, and now they don't know yet if it was actually killed by the cruise ship or carried in by it. There are so many whales very close to land here, and quite recently a pod of Orcas came right up into Burrard Inlet, which is where the cruise ship terminal is. It really is sad to see one end up like this, especially a Fin whale - second largest in the world.

There has been a large number of right whales in Cape Cod, MA this spring and the boats/ships are all so carefully regulated in efforts to avoid harming the whales but sometimes it's impossible for the ship/boat to stop or even see the whale in time.

It's so sad when one of those incredible creatures are injured or killed.

The story is evolving, and now they don't know yet if it was actually killed by the cruise ship or carried in by it. There are so many whales very close to land here, and quite recently a pod of Orcas came right up into Burrard Inlet, which is where the cruise ship terminal is. It really is sad to see one end up like this, especially a Fin whale - second largest in the world.

So they don't know yet if the whale is dead?

It does not matter what species the whale is. A dead whale is a dead whale.

So they don't know yet if the whale is dead?

 

It does not matter what species the whale is. A dead whale is a dead whale.

Yes the whale is most definitely dead. The question is whether it was killed by the cruise ship or it's body carried in by a cruise ship.

Sorry to hear this.

Yes the whale is most definitely dead. The question is whether it was killed by the cruise ship or it's body carried in by a cruise ship.

How can a ship "carry in" a whale? That would make sense if we were talking about an eagle.

A picture is worth a 1000 words. Have a look on this page:

http://myboatwatch.com/canada_place_wharf_port_of_vancouver.php

about 1/3 of the way down the page. Shows the whale on the Princess ship in 2009.

How can a ship "carry in" a whale? That would make sense if we were talking about an eagle.

Ships have a large bulbous projection at the bow, just under the waterline.

It has happened several times before that I recall where a whale is "pinned" there. Most recent one that I can remember happened on a Princess ship in Alaska. As with this incident, I recall that there was uncertainty as to whether the whale was killed by the ship or whether a whale that was already dead and floating was simply pinned there.

Here's a link to the story regarding the Princess ship, which has a photo showing how this happens:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1298928/Dead-whale-pinned-Princess-cruise-ship-iin-Alaska.html

A picture is worth a 1000 words. Have a look on this page:

 

http://myboatwatch.com/canada_place_wharf_port_of_vancouver.php

 

about 1/3 of the way down the page. Shows the whale on the Princess ship in 2009.

Thanks for the link. Horrid photos but nevertheless interesting to get a perspective how this event could have happened.

Is it possible the whale just died because it was really old or very sick? :confused:

Gosh, HAL & Princess ships go so very slowly when whales are around. Seems a healthy whale would easily have been able to avoid the ship. :confused:

LuLu

Here is the report from our local news station

"The carcass of a dead fin whale has washed up in Burrard Inlet next to downtown Vancouver, and officials inspecting the young male whale said it was struck by a cruise ship.

The whale was likely hit north of Vancouver Island, according to a veteran whale biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada."

The whale's body was found floating near a dock at Port Metro Vancouver, close to the Rogers Sugar refinery east of downtown. Someone tied the whale's body to the dock, but it's not clear who did this.

How can a ship "carry in" a whale? That would make sense if we were talking about an eagle.

I will leave you to just mull that over and come to your own conclusion - sometimes trying to explain is useless.

I will leave you to just mull that over and come to your own conclusion - sometimes trying to explain is useless.

Agree. Lots of speculation but very, very sad nonetheless.

A picture is worth a 1000 words. Have a look on this page:

 

http://myboatwatch.com/canada_place_wharf_port_of_vancouver.php

 

about 1/3 of the way down the page. Shows the whale on the Princess ship in 2009.

That is the Princess ship I was on two years ago. I hate to think my ship killed a whale.

Here is the report from our local news station

 

 

"The carcass of a dead fin whale has washed up in Burrard Inlet next to downtown Vancouver, and officials inspecting the young male whale said it was struck by a cruise ship.

 

The whale was likely hit north of Vancouver Island, according to a veteran whale biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada."

 

The whale's body was found floating near a dock at Port Metro Vancouver, close to the Rogers Sugar refinery east of downtown. Someone tied the whale's body to the dock, but it's not clear who did this.

That sounds awful anecdotal. How are they tying it to a cruise ship, opposed to any other ship traffic? :confused:

That sounds awful anecdotal. How are they tying it to a cruise ship, opposed to any other ship traffic? :confused:

They just announced it was the Seven Seas Navigator.

Stuff happens. :o

They just announced it was the Seven Seas Navigator.

So they initially blamed the wrong ship?

A picture is worth a 1000 words. Have a look on this page:

 

http://myboatwatch.com/canada_place_wharf_port_of_vancouver.php

 

about 1/3 of the way down the page. Shows the whale on the Princess ship in 2009.

There is a saying----"Showin's better'n tellin'". Thanks CP. that is the image that I thought of as well but didn't know how to find it.

Unfortunately, there is a downside to using the so called bulbous bow on ships (either cruise or other merchant ships) which reduce the ships drag through the water and that makes them more (fuel) efficient.

The downside is that the bulbous bow makes them more silent through the water also, which makes them harder to spot for sea life and harder to avoid.

Is it possible the whale just died because it was really old or very sick? :confused:

 

Gosh, HAL & Princess ships go so very slowly when whales are around. Seems a healthy whale would easily have been able to avoid the ship. :confused:

 

LuLu

Fisheries and Oceans Canada biologists can tell the difference between a natural death and death caused by being struck by a ship.

Of course this is completely avoidable. A cruise ship is a pleasure craft that does not need to be sailing in those waters. This is another example of the environmental harm caused by cruise ships.