On Wednesday, the whale was towed to Sandy Hook, NJ, for a necropsy. According to NOAA, officials found broken bones in the right forearm, tissue trauma in the right shoulder blade region and a stomach full of food. Biologists took samples for biotoxin and histopathologic analyses. NOAA spokeswoman Andrea Gomez said the tissue and bone samples can help biologists determine if the whale died before or because of the collision with the ship.
The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society conducting whale research. The test results could take several days, said Kathleen Collins, senior manager of marine operations at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Based on the findings published so far, Andy Rogan, science manager at The Ocean Alliance, a non-profit whale research and conservation organization, that the cruise ship may have caused the whale’s decline. If so, it would be a sudden death.
“Whales are big animals, but compared to a boat that size, it’s still a big impact. There is so much pressure and power hitting that whale,” he said. “It is almost certain that a ship strike killed that whale. “
According to the NOAA, ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the biggest threats to sei whales, an endangered species that lives in deeper waters off the coast. Population figures are uncertain, but largely documented by NOAA 6,300 sei whales between Florida and Nova Scotia from 2010 to 2013.
Sei whales are feeding at this time of year, and Collins said the whales are feeding on the surface, putting them in the bull’s eye for possible collisions with the bow of a boat. She said that the crew members and passengers might not have felt the bump because of the size of the ship. The MSC Meraviglia weighs 171,598 tons; sei whales weigh up to 50 tons.
“It’s a really horrible case where this strike happened and everybody was oblivious until they came into the port,” Collins said. “They probably don’t even know where did they hit the whale, either.”
NOAA urges boaters operating on the East Coast to travel slowly, be vigilant and report any sightings of right whales or dead, injured or entangled whales . In its statement, MSC said it follows comprehensive measures to avoid accidents in marine life, such as the training of deck officers by the Ocean Research & Conservation Society and changing itineraries in areas where whales live.
Collins said voluntarily reducing the speed of vessels could help avoid run-ins. But, she said, cruise ships and large tankers prefer to move quickly because they are on tight schedules.
Macinzie McFarland, spokesperson for The International Cruise Lines Association said in an email that cruise ships are taking several measures to protect marine mammals, including whale watching training for crews and reducing ship speeds.
“The chance of fatality from a vessel strike goes down significantly as you reduce the speed of the vessel,” said Collins.
Cruise lines also rely on technology such as underwater radiation noise management systems and specially designed hulls, propellers and sound dampening devices that reduce underwater vibration. .
Maritime establishments, agencies such as the Coast Guard and the Whale Alert app sharing whale watching information and locations.
Rogan said there is no “silver bullet” for ships to avoid whales, but advances in technology can help reduce the risk. He said hydrophones can pick up whale sounds, information that NOAA can then relay to ships. At a recent workshop, Rogan said, he learned about infrared cameras that can detect whales within a 360-degree range, especially in front of a vessel.
Rogan urged the public on Thursday to share their frustration over the incident with government agencies and the cruise line. Collins said she hoped the event would encourage the maritime industry to be better stewards of the waters it shares with vulnerable marine life.
The MSC Meraviglia, she noted, is headed for Canada, a critical area for right whales, including mothers and their new calves.
2024-05-09 23:29:00
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