57-foot rare, endangered fin whale found dead on bow of cruise ship in Alaska
NOAA said it is working with their Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network partners to continue to assess whether a necropsy to determine cause of death can be performed.
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A dead fin whale was found dead on top of the bulbous bow of a cruise ship docking in Sitka, Alaska, on Thursday.
NOAA Fisheries Alaska said a local company towed the whale toward a nearby beach, but unfortunately, because the whale died recently, it's not yet buoyant.
The fin whale was discovered dead on the bulbous bow of a cruise ship.
(NOAA Fisheries Permit #24359 / NOAA)
The whale is secured to the beach for the time being, NOAA Fisheries said.
NOAA said the fin whale is 57.5 feet long.
Fin whales are the second-largest whale species on Earth. They're also listed as endangered on the Endangered Species List.
NOAA said it is working with their Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network partners to assess whether a necropsy to determine cause of death can be performed.
The dead whale in the water in Alaska.
(NOAA Fisheries Permit #24359 / NOAA)
The public is asked to maintain a safe distance from the whale.
The NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the whale's death, and asks anyone who might have information to contact them at (800) 853-1964.
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The whale was 57.5 feet long.
(NOAA Fisheries Permit #24359 / NOAA)
This is the second fin whale to be discovered dead on the bow of a cruise ship in Alaska this year.
In June, a pregnant fin whale was found dead on a cruise ship arrived in Seward, Alaska.
DEAD, PREGNANT ENDANGERED FIN WHALE FOUND ON BOW OF ALASKA CRUISE SHIP
The animal was 61 feet long and believed to have died from a vessel strike.
Alaska SeaLife Center staff perform a necropsy on a deceased fin whale in Seward, Alaska on June 20, 2026.
(NOAA Fisheries Permit #24359, Alaska SeaLife Center | Kaiti Grant)
According to NOAA Fisheries, fin whales are considered the most vulnerable whales to vessel strikes, right behind the North Atlantic Right Whale.
Fin whales are found in all the world's oceans, but they are typically found in deep, offshore waters, primarily in temperate to polar latitudes. They are less common in the tropics.