cruise ship hits whale vancouver

Research groups sound alarm after three whales reportedly struck by ships off B.C. coast

Three whales were reportedly struck by vessels in northern B.C. waters over a 10-day period last month, raising West Coast humpback researchers' concerns over the risk shipping poses to the marine mammals.

The first report involved a BC Ferries vessel, the Northern Expedition, colliding with a whale in Wright Sound near Kitimat on July 20, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) confirmed.

A second incident on July 21 involved a boat that transports workers to Alcan's Rio Tinto mine in Kitimat. And a cruise ship struck a whale in Hecate Strait between Haida Gwaii and the B.C. mainland on July 29, DFO said.

No other details about the incidents were available from DFO before Canada's National Observer's publication deadline.

Whale research groups on the B.C. coast are getting piecemeal reports about the three incidents but weren't aware of or alerted to the incidents when they happened, said Jackie Hildering of the Marine Education and Research Society.

Any vessel that hits a whale must report it to the DFO. However, there's no policy or protocol for vessels involved or DFO to relay information in a timely way to other groups that monitor whales - which are often operating in nearby waters and able to respond to incidents more quickly, Hildering said.

When research groups and First Nations guardian programs don't get key information about the incidents when they happen, it's a missed opportunity to capture data crucial to protecting whales into the future, she said.

Shipping traffic and humpback whale populations are both on the rise - often in the same areas - escalating the risk of vessel strikes to humpbacks, the greatest threat to the species of special concern along with entanglements in fishing gear.

A timely sharing of information on vessel strikes among industry, DFO, Transport Canada, research groups and Indigenous guardians can go a long way to devising strategies to better protect whales and boaters alike, she said.

“Nobody ever wants to hit a whale,” Hildering stressed.

“But it's not acceptable to just accept (whale deaths) as collateral damage.

“There's so much we can do, and the core of that is learning all we can about these accidents.”

Janie Wray, CEO of the North Coast Cetacean Society (BC Whales), agreed, noting the research team and the Gitga'at Guardians could have had boats on the water quickly to respond to the vessel strikes in the waters around Kitimat.

“It's so important for a number of different reasons,” Wray said.

“We could determine whether the whale survived or the level of injury.”

The research group and the Gitga'at Guardians were informed about a dead whale floating in nearby waters on July 30, but by the time they heard about it and responded, they couldn't locate the mammal, Wray said.

Confirming and identifying a whale fatality also helps determine impacts on the local population and allows researchers to secure the carcass for DFO for a necropsy and analysis, she said.

Understanding other details like vessel speed, size, weather conditions and location of the strike are all important to determine hot spots of concern where whales and ships are most often coming into contact.

“Those are all parts of the equation, with the whole idea being to reduce the risk of vessel strikes to whales, especially in some areas along the coast where we know we have high populations,” she said.

With open lines of communication, large vessels moving in and out of areas with high whale concentrations around Kitimat could reach out to the Fin Island research station and the Gitga'at Guardians in Hartley Bay for information about where whales are active so they can take measures to avoid collisions, Wray said.

Not only do the two groups monitor whales visually, but their joint acoustic monitoring project, SWAG, uses underwater hydrophones to pinpoint the location of whales even if the weather is poor or they aren't visible at the water's surface, she said.

“When fin or humpback whales and orca are vocalizing, we can actually locate where that whale is within almost real-time,” she said.

Collective alerts about vessel strikes, in addition to gathering crucial scientific data, have emotional and cultural value for groups striving to protect marine mammals, she added.

“These humpbacks mean a lot to us,” Wray said.

“There are individuals we've been following for 20 years, and when there's been a loss to that community, we want to know who it is.”

The ship strike danger for humpbacks and other whales in B.C.'s northern waters and the Kitimat Fiord is already significant and is going to get worse as the LNG Canada shipping terminal comes online in 2025, said Hussein Alidina, marine conservation lead for WWF-Canada.

On average, four vessel strikes already occur annually in the region's waters, and that's likely a conservative number, Alidina said.

“There's many more that are happening and just not being reported,” he said.

Research suggests two fin whales and 18 humpback whales could die each year from ship strikes once LNG tankers start plying the region's waters, said Alidina, who participated in the recent study.

That level of loss would reverse the recovery of whale populations on the rebound over the last couple of decades since industrial whaling ended.

Devising mitigation strategies or safety zones where whales are known to concentrate and overlap with shipping traffic is necessary regionally and along the length of the B.C. coast.

The quickest and most effective tool for reducing the risk to whales is reducing vessel speed, he stressed, noting similar efforts are already occurring elsewhere on the coast, in Canada and California.

“We know speed is lethal to whales,” he said.

“Slowing ships is one immediate thing we could start doing.”

Speed reductions have the added benefit of reducing noise pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from ships, he added.

The ECHO program, a collaborative initiative involving the Port of Vancouver, industry partners, First Nations, the research community, and government aims to reduce shipping speeds and noise pollution and alert mariners to the presence of whales to protect endangered southern resident killer whales. The program is one model that could be modified to protect other species and used along the length of the coast, Alidina said.

“One of the beauties of the ECHO program was they were able to democratize that process for the stakeholders and get interest from industry (and) conservation groups,” he said.

“It collaboratively built trust and working relationships, and we were able to get the outcomes we all were seeking.”

Vessels, boaters or commercial fishers that hit a whale or see a marine mammal in distress should make a report to DFO's Marine Mammal Incident Reporting Hotline at 1-800-465-4336.

Top Stories

London Drugs stores remain closed Monday after 'cybersecurity incident'

Historic church in Vancouver for sale for $10M

'He was watching from up above': Canucks comeback win takes on special meaning for grieving B.C. family

Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross

'Cybersecurity incident' shuts down London Drugs stores across Western Canada

Drug user advocates decry B.C.'s decriminalization exception request

Canucks pull off comeback, top Predators 4-3 in OT

B.C. breweries take home awards at World Beer Cup

Ctvnews.ca top stories.

BREAKING | International students will be allowed to work 24 hours a week starting in September

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says international students will be able to work off-campus up to 24 hours per week starting in September.

Toronto police arrest 12 people, lay 102 charges in major credit card fraud scheme

Toronto police say 12 people are facing a combined 102 charges in connection with an investigation into a major credit fraud scheme.

MPs targeted by Chinese hackers question why Canada didn't tell them

Members of Parliament are questioning why Canadian security officials did not inform them that they had been the target of Beijing-linked hackers, after learning from the FBI that the international parliamentary alliance they are a part of was in the crosshairs of the Chinese cyberattack in 2021.

Norovirus spreading at 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada

Norovirus is spreading at a 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada, specifically, in Ontario and Alberta, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Less alcohol, or none at all, is one path to better health

Moderate drinking was once thought to have benefits for the heart, but better research methods have thrown cold water on that.

In a world first, king-size cigarettes in Canada must feature one of these warnings starting Tuesday

Tobacco manufacturers have until Tuesday to ensure every king-size cigarette produced for sale in Canada has a health warning printed directly on it.

WATCH | So you haven't filed your taxes yet…

The clock is ticking ahead of the deadline to file a 2023 income tax return. A personal finance expert explains why you should get them done -- even if you owe more than you can pay.

Anne Hathaway reveals she's now five years sober

Anne Hathaway first shared she lost interest in drinking after a bad hangover in 2018. She’s now five years sober.

Majority of aspiring homeowners awaiting rate cuts before buying: BMO survey

The majority of Canadians aspiring to buy a home say they will push their plans to next year or later to wait for interest rates to drop, a new survey shows.

Shopping Trends

The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.  Read about us.

Editor's Picks

16 night creams that'll work magic on your skin while you sleep, 17 practical things for your backyard that you'll want to order immediately, 19 of the best mother's day gifts under $50, 17 backyard decor and furniture pieces you need before summer arrives, 15 cleaning products that'll have you working smarter not harder, our guide to the best fans in canada in 2024 (and where to get them), 22 of the best mother's day gifts to give in 2024, 17 unique mother's day gifts your mom definitely wants, but probably won’t buy herself, if your mom needs a bit of rest and relaxation, here are 20 of the best self-care gifts for mother's day, 20 affordable amazon beauty and skincare products you'll probably repurchase over and over again, if you suffer from dry skin, you'll want to add at least one of these hydrating moisturizers to your cart, 14 of the best tinted lip balms you can get online right now.

B.C. premier says Vancouver speech praising Hamas attack was 'most hateful' he can imagine

B.C. Premier David Eby has joined other politicians denouncing remarks at a demonstration in Vancouver where protesters chanted “long live Oct. 7,” praising that day's attacks by Hamas on Israel.

A nearly century-old church in one of Vancouver's most desirable neighbourhoods is up for sale.

Sunday's comeback win by the Vancouver Canucks had special meaning for Carol Morin and her family.

Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.

B.C. man rescues starving dachshund trapped in carrier: BC SPCA

An emaciated dachshund is now recovering thanks to a Good Samaritan who found the pup near a biking trail in Kelowna, according to the BC SPCA.

Search crews called in after missing Kelowna senior's truck found

Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.

Company ordered to pay $360K in 2022 death of central Alberta worker

An oilfield equipment supply company has been ordered to pay $360,000 in connection with the death of a worker more than two years ago.

Trans Mountain pipeline project ushers in new era for oilsands hub Fort McMurray

As the urban centre at the heart of Canada's oilsands industry, Fort McMurray has seen more than its share of ups and downs.

Premier Danielle Smith to announce update to passenger rail service

Premier Danielle Smith will be in Calgary on Monday to announce more details about a plan to improve rail service in Alberta.

'Shocked and concerned': Calgary principal charged with possession of child pornography

A Calgary elementary school principal has been charged with possession of child pornography, authorities announced Monday.

WEATHER | Wet, cold and snowy start to the week prompts weather warnings/statements

A low complex (multiple low-pressure systems) across the western Prairies and B.C. will create some challenging conditions over the next few days.

RCMP in Coaldale, Alta., area conduct check stops, pull over more than 200 vehicles

Three locations, more than 200 vehicles pulled over – Mounties out of a southern Alberta detachment conducted a check stop operation on Friday night.

Bandits get hat trick from Logan Sawyer en route to 8-2 win over Okotoks

The Brooks Bandits got down to business Friday, defeating the Okotoks Oilers 8-2.

'No real winner' following first Alberta NDP leadership debate: political scientist

An Alberta political scientist said the NDP leadership hopefuls remained fairly even following the first of the party’s debates.

Winnipeg trial of man accused of killing four women starts with bid to toss jury

The trial of a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women began this morning with a preliminary matter before the jury is called in next week.

A timeline of the Jeremy Skibicki case

The trial for the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg is set to get underway on April 29.

Jets forward Namestnikov hospitalized after taking puck to side of the head

Winnipeg forward Vladislav Namestnikov was hospitalized Sunday after taking a slapshot to the side of the head during the third period of the Jets' 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

Kindersley, Sask. man facing drunk driving charges after fatal crash with cyclist

A 20-year-old Kindersley man faces multiple charges for impaired driving and failing to stop at the scene of a fatal crash that led to the death of a 21-year-old man in the town west of Saskatoon early Saturday morning.

Saskatchewan highlights preparations made ahead of wildfire season

Saskatchewan has brought in resources early to prepare for this year's fire season. A drier than normal summer is forecast with eleven fires currently active.

Here's when your street will be swept

Residential street sweeping in Regina is set to get underway this week with more than 1,000 kilometres of roadway expected to be cleaned over the next six weeks.

Saskatoon Public Schools says budget increase won't cover growing enrollment or class complexity

Saskatoon’s public school board says that despite “record” funding from the province this year, the ministry’s allocation to the division doesn’t make the grade.

New funding aims to get more First Nation people working in Sask. energy, mining sectors

The province has teamed up with the Saskatchewan First Nations Natural Resource Centre of Excellence to find out how to get more Indigenous Peoples working in the energy sector.

Identities of officers involved in death of Mississauga father Ejaz Choudry to be made public, court rules

A request made by Peel Regional Police to shield the identities of the officers involved in the 2020 death of Mississauga father Ejaz Choudry has been rejected by the courts.

'Don't use the phones': Ford tells Ontario's students

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province's latest attempts to limit cellphone use in classrooms are designed to help students focus on learning.

McGill University says pro-Palestinian demonstrators 'refuse' to collaborate, encampment violates policies

McGill University says the growing encampment on its lower field in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza violates its policies.

Recycle your wine bottles and watch them transform into bridges, sidewalks

In a time of push for bigger and better infrastructure, Quebec researchers are working toward an environmentally friendly way to build bridges and construct sidewalks.

Geneviève Biron named head of Santé Québec

Manager Geneviève Biron has been named the first head of the government corporation Santé Québec. Minister of Health and Social Services Christian Dubé made the announcement Monday afternoon in Quebec City.

Province to open new 'regional office' in Ottawa

Premier Doug Ford announced the province will be opening a new regional office dedicated to Ottawa on Monday.

Via Rail unveils new early morning train service between Toronto, Ottawa

Via Rail says it will be operating an early-morning train service between Ottawa and Toronto for commuters hoping to arrive before 9 a.m.

Ottawa looks to move photo radar and red light camera tickets out of provincial courts

A report for the city's finance and corporate services committee recommends the city implement an administrative penalty system for adjudicating parking and camera-based offences, with municipally appointed hearing officers adjudicating ticket disputes instead of the provincial courts system.

Third youth charged with second-degree murder in death of 16-year-old: Halifax police

Police have charged a third youth in connection with the death of a teenager in Halifax last week.

Police investigating alleged threat at Halifax West High School, students dismissing early

A high school in Halifax is dismissing students early Monday due to an alleged threat.

Bedford man charged with stunting after vehicle clocked at 248 km/h: N.S. RCMP

A Bedford, N.S., man has been charged with stunting after the RCMP says he was caught driving more than 138 km/h over the posted speed limit.

Western and GTAs ratify agreement following two-week strike

A tentative agreement has been reached between Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA) and Western University.

London man charged with sexual assault following alleged downtown incident

Police have charged a 20-year-old London man with sexual assault following an alleged incident downtown.

'I'm grateful for every new day': $20-million donation transforms LHSC cancer care

The Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre has officially been unveiled in London, Ont. As announced in November, the $20-million gift was left to the London Health Sciences Foundation from the late Archie and Irene Verspeeten.

'Don't use the phones' Ontario Premier Doug Ford tells students

Hidden camera found in guelph home, man arrested.

Police have arrested a 46-year-old Guelph man after a woman said she found a hidden camera and was hit with a bat several times.

Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario

Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.

Northern Ontario

BREAKING | Human skeletal remains found in Chelmsford area of Greater Sudbury, police say

A gruesome discovery was made in a remote wooded area of Greater Sudbury on Sunday night, Sudbury police say.

'Deeply unhappy' grocery shoppers plan to boycott Loblaw-owned stores in May

A boycott targeting Loblaw is gaining momentum online, with what could be thousands of shoppers taking their money elsewhere in May.

Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident

One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.

'I feel honoured to say I was his friend': Wayne Gretzky remembers Bob Cole

Tributes continue to pour in for Bob Cole as his family has confirmed a funeral will be held for the legendary broadcaster Friday in St. John's, N.L.

Voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada' Bob Cole never considered moving out of St. John's

Legendary sportscaster Bob Cole was a Newfoundlander through and through, and his daughter says his connection to the province was 'everything' to him.

Cenovus fined $2.5 million for biggest oil spill in Newfoundland and Labrador history

Cenovus Energy has been ordered to pay a $2.5-million fine for its role in the largest offshore oil spill ever recorded in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Stay Connected

• Garden Worms
• Billie Eilish
• Local Change location
• Entertainment
• Perspectives

TV Programs

• Global National
• The Morning Show
• Video Centre
• More…
• Email alerts
• Breaking News Alerts from Global News
• License Content
• New Brunswick
• Peterborough

Close Local

Your local region.

• All event types

Quick Search

Trending now.

Add Global News to Home Screen Close

Instructions:

• Press the share icon on your browser
• Select Add to Home Screen

Comments Close comments menu

Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.

3 humpback whales struck in B.C. waters within 10 days last month

If you get Global News from Instagram or Facebook - that will be changing. Find out how you can still connect with us .

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is investigating three collisions between ships and humpback whales within a 10-day timeframe last month in B.C. waters.

The strikes took place along northern shipping routes near Prince Rupert and Kitimat between July 20 and 29. It’s unclear if any of the whales survived.

The federal department confirmed the first strike happened July 20 in Wright Sound with BC Ferries’ Northern Expedition, and the second happened July 21 with a boat taking workers to Alcan Rio Tinto’s Kemano hydroelectric dam.

The third happened in Hecate Straight on July 29 and involved a cruise ship.

“The vessel operators have been cooperating with DFO on the details of these incidents,” said the federal ministry’s Dan Bate, manager of strategic communications.

“Any operator of a vessel or fishing gear involved in accidental contact with a marine mammal is required to notify DFO of the incident, as per section 39 of the Marine Mammal Regulations.”

Recent peer-reviewed research published in the Inter-Research Science Publisher predicts deadly humpback whale collisions with ships in Gitga’at First Nation territory will increased nearly four-fold by 2030 — up to 20 deaths a year — largely due to increased marine traffic from LNG projects in the area.

Authors from several universities, the DFO, whale research organizations, and non-profits analyzed multiple databases, line-transect surveys, aerial footage, and whale-borne tags to draw their conclusions, in addition to using shore-based monitoring and simulations.

Together, they name LNG Canada as a likely culprit. The company’s $40-billion project in Kitimat is the only LNG export facility currently being built in Canada and is slated to begin delivery mid-decade.

Eric Keen, science co-director at BC Whales and a co-author of the paper, said he was surprised by their findings, given that he’s never seen a fatal humpback whale strike in Gitga’at territory.

“It just goes to show how many more strikes could actually be happening — if three happened in 10 days, how many could be happening in a year?” he asked.

“Our models are predicting that there will be so many strikes when LNG comes that these whale populations are actually going to decline — that we’re going to reverse the recovery of these whale populations that we’ve seen for the last 20, 30 years.”

The models were designed to use conservative estimates, Keen added, so as not to cause “alarm.”

In an emailed statement, LNG Canada said it is committed to protecting the environment it operates in, with safe operations “top priorities” on land and in the water.

“We follow British Columbia North Coast Waterway Management Guidelines for all vessels including large commercial ships, tugboats and barges,” a spokesperson wrote.

“We continue to work with local authorities and stakeholders to protect the waters we share, and to monitor and mitigate impacts to the environment, marine mammals and nearby communities.”

LNG Canada also helps fund a number of wildlife protection initiatives, and contributed to a new Marine Emergency Response and Research Facility in Hartley Bay, B.C., which will serve as a base for Gitga’at-led marine research, rescue operations and research, the spokesperson added.

Commercial hunting of humpback whales was banned in the 1960s, helping bring the species back from the verge of extinction.

According to the Pacific Whale Watch Association, 2022 was a record-breaking year for humpback whale sightings in the Salish Sea. Nearly 400 individual whales were photographed over the course of the season — the highest number documented in a single year in at least the last century.

Jackie Hildering, a humpback researcher with the Marine Education Research Society, said last month’s ship strikes are particularly concerning because while DFO knew about them, researchers and non-profits didn’t hear about them for quite some time.

“We as researchers were not let know by official means,” she explained.

“Learning from these accidents, you could look at where they happened, where that overlap is, what speed were the vessels going, what were the conditions, was it foggy? Was that appropriate relative to the speed that the vessel was going?

“We are calling for a culture of openness and learning so that the threat can be reduced.”

• Gardeners need to watch out for these 2 worms in Ontario. Here’s why
• Satellite built by N.B. students not responding a week after entering Earth’s orbit
• Stuck in B.C. lagoon for weeks, killer whale calf is finally free
• After raising a stink, trash cans to return to Montreal’s Lachine Canal

Sponsored content

Report an error, subscribe here.

• Join Our Newsletter
• Post a Listing
• Your Listings
• Your Profile
• Your Subscriptions
• Payment History
• Sign up for Daily Headlines
• Sign up for Notifications

Research groups sound alarm after reports of three whales struck by ships off B.C.

• Share by Email
• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share via Text Message

Three whales were reportedly struck by vessels in northern B.C. waters over a 10-day period last month, raising West Coast humpback researchers’ concerns over the risk shipping poses to the marine mammals.

The first report involved a BC Ferries vessel, the Northern Expedition, colliding with a whale in Wright Sound near Kitimat on July 20, Fisheries and Oceans Canada confirmed.

A second incident on July 21 involved a boat that transports workers to Alcan’s Rio Tinto mine in Kitimat. And a cruise ship struck a whale in Hecate Strait between Haida Gwaii and the B.C. mainland on July 29, DFO said.

No other details about the incidents were available from DFO before Canada’s National Observer’s publication deadline.

Whale research groups on the B.C. coast are getting piecemeal reports about the three incidents but weren’t aware of or alerted to the incidents when they happened, said Jackie Hildering of the Marine Education and Research Society.

Any vessel that hits a whale must report it to the DFO. However, there’s no policy or protocol for vessels involved or DFO to relay information in a timely way to other groups that monitor whales — which are often operating in nearby waters and able to respond to incidents more quickly, Hildering said.

When research groups and First Nations guardian programs don’t get key information about the incidents when they happen, it’s a missed opportunity to capture data crucial to protecting whales into the future, she said.

Shipping traffic and humpback whale populations are both on the rise — often in the same areas — escalating the risk of vessel strikes to humpbacks, the greatest threat to the species of special concern along with entanglements in fishing gear.

A timely sharing of information on vessel strikes among industry, DFO, Transport Canada, research groups and Indigenous guardians can go a long way to devising strategies to better protect whales and boaters alike, she said.

“Nobody ever wants to hit a whale,” Hildering stressed. “But it’s not acceptable to just accept [whale deaths] as collateral damage.

“There’s so much we can do, and the core of that is learning all we can about these accidents.”

Janie Wray, CEO of the North Coast Cetacean Society (also known as BC Whales), agreed, noting the research team and the Gitga’at Guardians could have had boats on the water quickly to respond to the vessel strikes in the waters around Kitimat.

“It’s so important for a number of different reasons,” Wray said. “We could determine whether the whale survived or the level of injury.”

The research group and the Gitga’at Guardians were informed about a dead whale floating in nearby waters on July 30, but by the time they heard about it and responded, they couldn’t locate the mammal, Wray said.

Confirming and identifying a whale fatality also helps determine impacts on the local population and allows researchers to secure the carcass for DFO for a necropsy and analysis, she said.

Understanding other details like vessel speed, size, weather conditions and location of the strike are all important to determine hot spots of concern where whales and ships are most often coming into contact.

“Those are all parts of the equation, with the whole idea being to reduce the risk of vessel strikes to whales, especially in some areas along the coast where we know we have high populations,” she said.

With open lines of communication, large vessels moving in and out of areas with high whale concentrations around Kitimat could reach out to the Fin Island research station and the Gitga’at Guardians in Hartley Bay for information about where whales are active so they can take measures to avoid collisions, Wray said.

Not only do the two groups monitor whales visually, but their joint acoustic monitoring project, SWAG, uses underwater hydrophones to pinpoint the location of whales even if the weather is poor or they aren’t visible at the water’s surface, she said.

“When fin or humpback whales and orca are vocalizing, we can actually locate where that whale is within almost real-time,” she said.

Collective alerts about vessel strikes, in addition to gathering crucial scientific data, have emotional and cultural value for groups striving to protect marine mammals, she added.

“These humpbacks mean a lot to us,” Wray said.

“There are individuals we’ve been following for 20 years, and when there’s been a loss to that community, we want to know who it is.”

The ship strike danger for humpbacks and other whales in B.C.’s northern waters and the Kitimat Fiord is already significant and is going to get worse as the LNG Canada shipping terminal comes online in 2025, said Hussein Alidina, marine conservation lead for WWF-Canada.

On average, four vessel strikes already occur annually in the region’s waters, and that’s likely a conservative number, Alidina said.

“There’s many more that are happening and just not being reported,” he said.

Research suggests two fin whales and 18 humpback whales could die each year from ship strikes once LNG tankers start plying the region’s waters, said Alidina, who participated in the recent study.

That level of loss would reverse the recovery of whale populations on the rebound over the last couple of decades since industrial whaling ended.

Devising mitigation strategies or safety zones where whales are known to concentrate and overlap with shipping traffic is necessary regionally and along the length of the B.C. coast.

The quickest and most effective tool for reducing the risk to whales is reducing vessel speed, he stressed, noting similar efforts are already occurring elsewhere on the coast, in Canada and California.

“We know speed is lethal to whales,” he said.

“Slowing ships is one immediate thing we could start doing.”

Speed reductions have the added benefit of reducing noise pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from ships, he added.

The ECHO program, a collaborative initiative involving the Port of Vancouver, industry partners, First Nations, the research community, and government aims to reduce shipping speeds and noise pollution and alert mariners to the presence of whales to protect endangered southern resident killer whales. The program is one model that could be modified to protect other species and used along the length of the coast, Alidina said.

“One of the beauties of the ECHO program was they were able to democratize that process for the stakeholders and get interest from industry [and] conservation groups,” he said.

“It collaboratively built trust and working relationships, and we were able to get the outcomes we all were seeking.”

Vessels, boaters or commercial fishers that hit a whale or see a marine mammal in distress should make a report to DFO’s Marine Mammal Incident Reporting Hotline at 1-800-465-4336.

Rochelle Baker is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with the Canada’s National Observer. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

• See a typo/mistake?
• Have a story/tip?

This has been shared 0 times

More local news.

Featured Flyer

Experts look for cause of death after whale found in waters off Vancouver

This article was published more than 8 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

Officials on a Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada boat prepare to have a dead male fin whale moved by another boat on Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday May 11, 2015. The Fisheries Department says a dead whale spotted in Vancouver's harbour came in on the bow of a cruise ship. Officials towed it to another location so scientists could conduct a necropsy to determine the cause of death. DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press

A team of marine biologists and veterinarians is trying to figure out whether a dead fin whale found in the waters off Vancouver's main port was killed by a cruise ship or died another way before its carcass was dragged by the boat's hull as it travelled from Alaska.

The fin whale, whose species is the second-largest animal on the planet, was discovered wrapped around the lower portion of the bow by staff of the Seven Seas Navigator ship and authorities at Port Metro Vancouver on Sunday morning, said Paul Cottrell, a whale expert at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Specialists with the Fisheries Department, the University of British Columbia, the provincial government and the Vancouver Aquarium are expected to finish a necropsy on the roughly 18-metre male on Monday afternoon, Mr. Cottrell said.

"Time is really of the essence," he said. "Just with tissue degradation, we want to determine cause of death and time of death."

Tissue samples will be then be sent to a lab for further analysis, which will take at least several weeks, Mr. Cottrell said. If the experts can figure out when the whale died, they can determine whether the cruise ship hit it while it was alive or whether the carcass became draped over the bow some time during the ship's journey from Ketchikan, a port on the Alaskan Panhandle, to Vancouver, he added.

John Ford, a marine mammal scientist with the Fisheries Department, said the whale appears to have been hit north of Vancouver Island and it is the third dead fin to have been brought into Vancouver's waters on the bow of a cruise ship. The first incident was in 1999, followed by another 10 years later when a whale was believed to have been hit after it had died, Mr. Ford said.

Mr. Cottrell said there are lots of documented cases of vessel strikes involving live whales around the world, but a lot more research is being done to look at the risk large ships pose to marine mammals. Vessel strikes and getting tangled up in fishing nets are the two of the main dangers facing fin whales off B.C.'s coast, according to the Fisheries Department, which lists the whales as threatened and protected under the Species at Risk Act.

Fin whales, the largest mammal after blue whales, are nicknamed the "greyhound of the sea" for their ability to reach speed bursts of up to 46 kilometres per hour. Their population on Canada's West Coast was decimated by commercial whaling up until it was outlawed in 1975, according to the Fisheries Department. Mr. Ford said the presence of more fins in B.C. waters is possibly why more of them are being hit by ships of all kinds

B.C. scientists don't know how many fin whales there are, though 500 of the individual whales have been identified from their markings through photographs in the last five years, mostly on the north coast of Vancouver Island, Mr. Ford said. Their population is likely more than double that number and Mr. Ford's research group at the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, B.C., is trying to determine more precise figures. From 1985 to 2003, recreational boaters reported 83 sightings, according to the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network.

With a report from The Canadian Press

Report an editorial error

Report a technical issue

Editorial code of conduct

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following .

Interact with The Globe

The Star Edition Change Location

• Manage Profile
• Subscriptions
• Billing Information
• Saved Articles
• Newsletters
• Notifications
• Today’s Paper

Biologists with the Fisheries Department have removed a dead whale lodged in the bow of a cruise ship docked at the Port of Vancouver.

Cruise ship with dead impaled whale arrives in Vancouver

• Copy article link
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Whatsapp

VANCOUVER – Biologists with the Fisheries Department have removed a dead whale lodged in the bow of a cruise ship docked at the Port of Vancouver.

The Princess Cruise Lines’ Sapphire Princess arrived at the Canada Place terminal Saturday morning with the whale stuck on a part of the bow that goes through the water.

Tourists visiting one of the city’s most impressive downtown destinations took pictures of the fin whale while some employees from the nearby Vancouver Convention Centre trickled over to stare at the animal.

Julie Benson, spokeswoman for the cruise line, said the whale was discovered at 6:30 a.m. PT as the vessel, which takes passengers to and from Alaska, was preparing to dock.

“We are saddened and shocked by this discovery and sincerely regret the circumstances which led to the whale’s death,” she said in a statement.

“It is unknown how or when this could have happened as we have strict whale avoidance procedures in place when our ships are in the vicinity of marine life,” she said.

“We are not aware that any whales were sighted as the ship sailed through the Inside Passage to Vancouver (on Friday.)”

You Might Be Interested In

• Dec 31, 1969

Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free).

To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.

Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation

More from The Star & partners

Save asset to your list, please log in to use this feature, teachers union joins bid to have supreme court rule on quebec religious symbols ban.

• 18 mins ago

Climate change, not habitat loss, may be biggest threat to caribou herds: study

• 23 mins ago

Eby says Vancouver speech praising Hamas attack was 'most hateful' he can imagine

• 32 mins ago

Winnipeg trial of man accused of killing four women starts with bid to toss jury

• 48 mins ago

Third teen facing second-degree murder charge in stabbing death of Halifax student

Top trending, 'i feel terrible': wilfrid laurier international student at centre of storm over post about how to get free food, sophie gregoire trudeau gets candid about her justin trudeau split, the pain of her eating disorder and her new book: 'nothing is perfect", these changes in eating habits can be a warning sign of dementia and alzheimer's disease, experts say, ontario reveals details of cellphone ban in schools. here are the new rules for students, ontario to introduce tough new limits on cellphones in schools: sources.

Limited time offer.

Sorry , an error occurred.

Account processing issue - the email address may already exist

Sign up with

You're all set!

Thank you .

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Sign in with

Reset Password

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

Forgot Password

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.

Email me a log in link

Promotional offers.

No promotional rates found.

Purchase Gift Purchase Access

Secure & Encrypted

Secure transaction. Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.

Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.

An error occurred

Dead fin whale dragged into Burrard Inlet by cruise ship

A dead fin whale has been found in Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet after it was dragged into the harbour on the bow of a cruise ship on Sunday.

You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account.

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

Article content

VANCOUVER — A dead whale that came into Vancouver's harbour on the bow of a cruise ship is believed to be a 15-to-20-metre male fin whale.

It's not known if the whale was dead or alive when it was struck by the Seven Seas Navigator, said John Ford, a marine mammal scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Dead fin whale dragged into Burrard Inlet by cruise ship Back to video

"When it docked, a whale that had apparently been draped over the bulbous bow of the ship floated off," Ford said Monday, after the whale was towed to North Vancouver for a necropsy.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

• Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
• Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
• Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
• Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
• Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

• Access articles from across Canada with one account.
• Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
• Enjoy additional articles per month.
• Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Sign In or Create an Account

He said it appeared the whale was hit north of Vancouver Island on Sunday.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS HERE , or if you're using a mobile app, tap the story image and swipe.

"If it is a fin whale, it would be the third fin whale that's come into Vancouver harbour on the bow of a cruise ship."

The first incident was in 1999, followed by another 10 years later, when that whale was believed to have been hit after it had died.

"This one appears quite fresh though, but it's still possible it was struck while it was dead."

Ford said fin whales are listed as threatened on the West Coast of Canada, but their numbers have been increasing after dwindling during the whaling era that ended in the early 1970s.

He said the presence of more fins is possibly why more of them are being hit by ships of all kinds.

"Fin whales, for some reason, are the most common large whales hit by ships," Ford said, adding the speed at which cruise ships and container vessels travel on the high seas compared to other ships could be a factor.

Ship strikes are a concern along the West Coast and other parts of the world and several studies are underway to determine how to mitigate the risk of large whales getting hit, he said.

"Fin and blue whales have been identified as being at risk in shipping lanes coming in and out of San Francisco and Long Beach, or Los Angeles, and there have been steps to try and reduce that by altering ships lanes when there are concentrations of whales in certain hot spots."

Scientists don't know how many fin whales there are, though 500 of the individual whales have been identified from their markings through photographs in the last five years, mostly on the north coast of Vancouver Island, Ford said.

Their population is likely more than double that number and Ford's research group at the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo is trying to determine more precise figures.

Fin whales are the second largest whales in the world, after blue whales, about 3,000 of which ply the waters of the Pacific Coast of the United States. Ford said blue whale sightings are extremely rare on the West Coast.

Fins mature at age 25 and can be distinguished by the asymmetrical pigmentation on their lower jaw, which is dark on the left and light on the right.

Click here to report a typo or visit vancouversun.com/typo.

Is there more to this story? We'd like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. CLICK HERE or go to vancouversun.com/moretothestory

Capital gains tax increase: Will you have to pay?

'We knew we would be OK with one': Why single-child families are now common in B.C.

Cybersecurity incident forces closure of london drugs stores across western canada until further notice, cash crunch puts surrey's teal jones group into court protection from creditors.

India summons Canadian diplomat over Khalistan slogans at Trudeau speech

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here . By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy .

You've reached the 20 article limit.

You can manage saved articles in your account.

and save up to 100 articles!

Looks like you've reached your saved article limit!

You can manage your saved articles in your account and clicking the X located at the bottom right of the article.

BREAKING NEWS

International students will be allowed to work 24 hours a week starting in september.

Advertisement

Ship docks in Vancouver with dead whale on bow

Hundreds of people got an unexpected eyeful on Saturday, when a cruise ship arrived at the Port of Vancouver with a dead whale lodged in its bow.

Some took pictures, while others just stood and stared.

The 16-metre fin whale was wedged between the bow and the hull of the Princess Cruise Lines' Sapphire Princess when it docked at the Canada Place terminal.

Fins are the second largest marine mammal after blue whales. Typically the species is extremely rare in local B.C. waters and likely would have been struck off the coast of northern B.C.

Craig Delahunt, who works for Tymac Launch Service at the port, says these type of spearings are incredibly rare. In fact, over a 20-year career at the port, he said such spearings have only occurred three times.

"Basically it's like a train coming through. It just hits them,'' he said. "That bow is like a spear. Once they're hit, it usually breaks their back, killing them almost instantly."

Fisheries & Oceans Canada is obligated under the Species at Risk Act to perform a necropsy to determine the cause of death.

The last whale impalement discovered in Vancouver was ten years ago. The carcass of that whale was taken north to Telegraph Cove, where it was put on display a whale watching centre.

With a report by CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger

Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials look at the carcass of a whale lodged at the bow of a Princess Cruise Lines ship after docking in Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday July 25, 2009. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The Princess Cruise Lines' Sapphire Princess is docked at the Canada Place terminal with the whale stuck to its front. July 25th, 2009.

A diver inspects the carcass of a whale, which was impaled on the bow of a cruise ship that docked in Vancouver, Saturday. July 25th, 2009.

Zebras on the run hold up traffic on Wash. interstate

'Mess of active weather' in parts of Ontario

B.C. hospital staff put together wedding for cancer patient

Que. students accuse teacher of profiting off their artwork

Car thefts in Canada: Insurance companies face criticism

$50K reward offered in case of missing Barrie, Ont. woman

Ctvnews.ca top stories.

Toronto police arrest 12 people, lay 102 charges in major credit card fraud scheme

MPs targeted by Chinese hackers question why Canada didn't tell them

Norovirus spreading at 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada

B.C. premier says Vancouver speech praising Hamas attack was 'most hateful' he can imagine

Less alcohol, or none at all, is one path to better health

Advertisement

Whale impaled on cruise ship in Vancouver

Hundreds of tourists got an unexpected eyeful on Saturday, when a cruise ship arrived at the Port of Vancouver with a dead whale lodged in its bow.

Some took pictures, while others just stood and stared.

The 50-foot long Fin Whale, weighing 200,000 pounds, was wedged between the bow and the hull of the Princess Cruise Lines' Sapphire Princess when it docked at the Canada Place terminal.

Fins are the second largest marine mammal after Blue Whales. Typically the species is extremely rare in local B.C. waters and likely would have been struck off the coast of northern B.C.

In his 20 years working at Vancouver Harbour, Craig Delahunt of Tymac Launch Service has seen this kind of spearing three times.

"Basically it's like a train coming through. It just hits them,'' he said. "That bow is like a spear. Once they're hit, it usually breaks their back, killing them almost instantly."

Fisheries & Oceans Canada is obligated under the 'Species at Risk Act' to perform a necropsy to determine the cause of death.

The last whale impalement discovered in Vancouver was ten years ago. The carcass of that whale was taken north to Telegraph Cove where it was put on display at Jim Borman's Stubbs Island whale watching centre.

With a report by CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger and The Canadian Press.

A diver inspects the carcass of a whale, which was impaled on the bow of a cruise ship that docked in Vancouver, Saturday. July 25th, 2009.

The Princess Cruise Lines' Sapphire Princess is docked at the Canada Place terminal with the whale stuck to its front. July 25th, 2009.

Zebras on the run hold up traffic on Wash. interstate

'Mess of active weather' in parts of Ontario

B.C. hospital staff put together wedding for cancer patient

Vancouver top stories.

B.C. premier says Vancouver speech praising Hamas attack was 'most hateful' he can imagine

Historic church in Vancouver for sale for $10M

'He was watching from up above': Canucks comeback win takes on special meaning for grieving B.C. family

London Drugs stores remain closed Monday after 'cybersecurity incident'

'It's a shame': Community holds vigil for White Rock stabbing victim

'Deeply unhappy' grocery shoppers plan to boycott Loblaw-owned stores in May

More from ctv news vancouver.

Discover Singapore's beauty with Air Canada's new direct flights from Vancouver International Airport

Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man

Director of B.C. massage school must pay $12K after asking client to 'certify' he's not Muslim

Watch more from ctv news.

'Cybersecurity incident' closes London Drugs stores

Vigil held for White Rock stabbing victim

Canucks take Game 3 in Nashville

CRA bills renters for non-resident landlord's taxes

Titanic items recovered are now up for auction

'Rollercoaster of emotions': Cousin of Israeli hostage

Editor's picks.

Predators centre from Metro Vancouver facing off against team he once idolized

Date set for Surrey Police Service to take over from RCMP: Farnworth

$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection

Ctvnews.ca top stories.

International students will be allowed to work 24 hours a week starting in September

Toronto police arrest 12 people, lay 102 charges in major credit card fraud scheme

MPs targeted by Chinese hackers question why Canada didn't tell them

Norovirus spreading at 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada

Less alcohol, or none at all, is one path to better health

In a world first, king-size cigarettes in Canada must feature one of these warnings starting Tuesday

Victim, suspect identified in White Rock murder

Three seriously injured in separate overnight crashes around Lower Mainland

8 Sea-to-Sky speeders tracked by RCMP chopper

1st-degree murder charges for man allegedly involved in 2 gang-related shootings

Most-watched.

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

78 pilot whales were slaughtered near a cruise ship carrying marine conservationists

Emily Olson

A group of fisherman drive pilot whales towards the shore during a hunt in the Faroe Islands in May 2019. Andrija Ilic/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A group of fisherman drive pilot whales towards the shore during a hunt in the Faroe Islands in May 2019.

A cruise line is apologizing to passengers who witnessed the killing of dozens of pilot whales near their docked ship this week in the Faroe Islands.

Passengers aboard the cruise ship Ambition, owned by the U.K.-based Ambassador Cruise Line, had just arrived Sunday in the port of Tórshavn in the Danish territory when they caught the spectacle, part of a long-standing and highly scrutinized local tradition.

Among those passengers were conservationists with ORCA, a marine life advocacy group that seeks to protect whales and dolphins in European waters. Since 2021, Ambassador has paid for ORCA staff to join their cruises in order to educate tourists on marine wildlife and collect data on the animals.

Rescue efforts made in Tasmania to save more than 200 beached whales

In an account shared by ORCA and confirmed by Ambassador, the conservationists said over 40 small boats and jet skis herded the whales to a beach where 150 people worked to haul the animals ashore with hooks and slaughter them with lances.

In total, the hunt lasted about 20 minutes, ORCA said. Some of the animals, which included nine calves, took over 30 seconds to die.

Ambassador Cruise Line said it was "incredibly disappointed" that the hunt unfolded near the ship and that it continues to "strongly object to this practice." The company asks their guests not to support the hunters by purchasing local whale and dolphin meat.

"We fully appreciate that witnessing this local event would have been distressing for the majority of guests onboard," Ambassador said in a statement to NPR. "Accordingly, we would like to sincerely apologise to them for any undue upset."

A representative for the Faroe Islands government did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment on Sunday's hunt.

Where are the whales? Scientists find clues thousands of miles away

Long-finned pilot whales , which are technically a species of dolphin, are a medium-sized marine mammal that dwells in the North Atlantic, known for their bulbous head and sickle-shaped flippers. They're not currently listed as an endangered species, but as a sign their population may be on the decline due to human activity, the species is listed under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the U.S..

The mammals live in social pods of up to 20 individuals, organized into a larger school of hundreds of animals — a social structure that makes them easy targets for whalers, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In the Faroe Islands, the hunting of pilot whales is known as the "grindadrap" or "grind." The Faroese view the tradition as central to their cultural identity and a sustainable way to gather food, according to a local government website.

The government says the killing is not highly commercialized. Each catch is "distributed for free in the local community" but "in some supermarkets and on the dockside, whale meat and blubber is occasionally available for sale."

Toothed whales use 'vocal fry' to hunt for food, scientists say

Multiple hunts can occur throughout the year, and each is carried out by people with a required license and supervised by elected officials. Local legislation stipulates the killing must be carried out as "quickly and efficiently as possible."

The government says the average catch is around 800 animals, an insignificant impact on the overall pilot whale population, which it says is around 778,000 animals.

But a record single-day killing of more than 1,400 white-sided dolphins in 2021 brought the practice into intensified scrutiny. The chairman of the Faroese Whalers Association told the BBC that the size of that killing was purely accidental.

TED Radio Hour

What a living whale is worth in the fight against climate change.

That Sunday's slaughter unfolded near the cruise ship made it seem as if the whalers were "flaunting the hunt and taunting the tourists," many of whom were hoping to catch a glimpse of marine life in the wild, ORCA CEO Sally Hamilton said.

"It defies belief that the Faroese authorities allowed this activity to take place in clear sight of a cruise ship packed with passengers," she wrote in a statement shared with NPR. "At some point, the Faroese authorities will have to decide if its marine life is a more attractive tourist proposition when it is alive than when it is being killed."

The cruise ship was docked for a stop in Tórshavn, the main harbor of the 18-island territory between Iceland and the Shetland Islands. While the local government has invested more into its tourism sector, fishing and marine-related industries still remain the region's top economic driver .

• cruise ships
• faroe islands
• pilot whales

• Your Profile
• Your Subscriptions
• Your Business
• Support Local News
• Payment History
• Sign up for Daily Headlines
• Sign up for Notifications

Research groups sound alarm after reports of three whales struck by ships off B.C.

• Share by Email
• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share via Text Message

Three whales were reportedly struck by vessels in northern B.C. waters over a 10-day period last month, raising West Coast humpback researchers’ concerns over the risk shipping poses to the marine mammals.

The first report involved a BC Ferries vessel, the Northern Expedition, colliding with a whale in Wright Sound near Kitimat on July 20, Fisheries and Oceans Canada confirmed.

A second incident on July 21 involved a boat that transports workers to Alcan’s Rio Tinto mine in Kitimat. And a cruise ship struck a whale in Hecate Strait between Haida Gwaii and the B.C. mainland on July 29, DFO said.

No other details about the incidents were available from DFO before Canada’s National Observer’s publication deadline.

Whale research groups on the B.C. coast are getting piecemeal reports about the three incidents but weren’t aware of or alerted to the incidents when they happened, said Jackie Hildering of the Marine Education and Research Society.

Any vessel that hits a whale must report it to the DFO. However, there’s no policy or protocol for vessels involved or DFO to relay information in a timely way to other groups that monitor whales — which are often operating in nearby waters and able to respond to incidents more quickly, Hildering said.

When research groups and First Nations guardian programs don’t get key information about the incidents when they happen, it’s a missed opportunity to capture data crucial to protecting whales into the future, she said.

Shipping traffic and humpback whale populations are both on the rise — often in the same areas — escalating the risk of vessel strikes to humpbacks, the greatest threat to the species of special concern along with entanglements in fishing gear.

A timely sharing of information on vessel strikes among industry, DFO, Transport Canada, research groups and Indigenous guardians can go a long way to devising strategies to better protect whales and boaters alike, she said.

“Nobody ever wants to hit a whale,” Hildering stressed. “But it’s not acceptable to just accept [whale deaths] as collateral damage.

“There’s so much we can do, and the core of that is learning all we can about these accidents.”

Janie Wray, CEO of the North Coast Cetacean Society (also known as BC Whales), agreed, noting the research team and the Gitga’at Guardians could have had boats on the water quickly to respond to the vessel strikes in the waters around Kitimat.

“It’s so important for a number of different reasons,” Wray said. “We could determine whether the whale survived or the level of injury.”

The research group and the Gitga’at Guardians were informed about a dead whale floating in nearby waters on July 30, but by the time they heard about it and responded, they couldn’t locate the mammal, Wray said.

Confirming and identifying a whale fatality also helps determine impacts on the local population and allows researchers to secure the carcass for DFO for a necropsy and analysis, she said.

Understanding other details like vessel speed, size, weather conditions and location of the strike are all important to determine hot spots of concern where whales and ships are most often coming into contact.

“Those are all parts of the equation, with the whole idea being to reduce the risk of vessel strikes to whales, especially in some areas along the coast where we know we have high populations,” she said.

With open lines of communication, large vessels moving in and out of areas with high whale concentrations around Kitimat could reach out to the Fin Island research station and the Gitga’at Guardians in Hartley Bay for information about where whales are active so they can take measures to avoid collisions, Wray said.

Not only do the two groups monitor whales visually, but their joint acoustic monitoring project, SWAG, uses underwater hydrophones to pinpoint the location of whales even if the weather is poor or they aren’t visible at the water’s surface, she said.

“When fin or humpback whales and orca are vocalizing, we can actually locate where that whale is within almost real-time,” she said.

Collective alerts about vessel strikes, in addition to gathering crucial scientific data, have emotional and cultural value for groups striving to protect marine mammals, she added.

“These humpbacks mean a lot to us,” Wray said.

“There are individuals we’ve been following for 20 years, and when there’s been a loss to that community, we want to know who it is.”

The ship strike danger for humpbacks and other whales in B.C.’s northern waters and the Kitimat Fiord is already significant and is going to get worse as the LNG Canada shipping terminal comes online in 2025, said Hussein Alidina, marine conservation lead for WWF-Canada.

On average, four vessel strikes already occur annually in the region’s waters, and that’s likely a conservative number, Alidina said.

“There’s many more that are happening and just not being reported,” he said.

Research suggests two fin whales and 18 humpback whales could die each year from ship strikes once LNG tankers start plying the region’s waters, said Alidina, who participated in the recent study.

That level of loss would reverse the recovery of whale populations on the rebound over the last couple of decades since industrial whaling ended.

Devising mitigation strategies or safety zones where whales are known to concentrate and overlap with shipping traffic is necessary regionally and along the length of the B.C. coast.

The quickest and most effective tool for reducing the risk to whales is reducing vessel speed, he stressed, noting similar efforts are already occurring elsewhere on the coast, in Canada and California.

“We know speed is lethal to whales,” he said.

“Slowing ships is one immediate thing we could start doing.”

Speed reductions have the added benefit of reducing noise pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from ships, he added.

The ECHO program, a collaborative initiative involving the Port of Vancouver, industry partners, First Nations, the research community, and government aims to reduce shipping speeds and noise pollution and alert mariners to the presence of whales to protect endangered southern resident killer whales. The program is one model that could be modified to protect other species and used along the length of the coast, Alidina said.

“One of the beauties of the ECHO program was they were able to democratize that process for the stakeholders and get interest from industry [and] conservation groups,” he said.

“It collaboratively built trust and working relationships, and we were able to get the outcomes we all were seeking.”

Vessels, boaters or commercial fishers that hit a whale or see a marine mammal in distress should make a report to DFO’s Marine Mammal Incident Reporting Hotline at 1-800-465-4336.

Rochelle Baker is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with the Canada’s National Observer. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

• Oldest Newest

This has been shared 0 times

More highlights.

Featured Flyer

• Whale Watching Tours
• Nature & Historical Tours
• Shuttle Service

Wildlife You Can See

• RESERVATIONS BOOK NOW!
• GIFT CERTIFICATES
• Explorathor II
• Lightship & Strider
• SHUTTLE SERVICE
• How to Get Here
• Our Guarantee
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conservation
• Our Brochure
• Photo Gallery
• Video Gallery
• AGENT LOGIN

Vancouver's ORIGINAL and BEST Whale Watching Experience!

Established in 1998, Vancouver Whale Watch is the original whale watching company in Vancouver. Departing from the charming historic fishing village of Steveston, every year we welcome visitors locally and from around the world. Travelling through the spectacular Gulf and San Juan islands our guests can discover magnificent and breathtaking marine wildlife in their natural habitat. Our professional wildlife guides onboard are well educated on marine mammals, local flora and fauna, waterways and surrounding islands; transforming our fleet of zodiacs into floating classrooms and educating the public about conservation of marine wildlife.

We have a 95% sighting success rate. Should you not see a whale you can come again for free until you do – for life, no expiry.

WHAT SETS US APART

We provide passengers with the adventure of a lifetime through excellent customer service, first class vessels, the highest possible safety standards and added value from an on-the-water education of the west coast eco-system. we emphasize science and conservation while maintaining a fun and professional atmosphere..

Join our Professional Wildlife Guides for a 3 to 5 hour whale watching tour, starting in the picturesque West Coast fishing village of historic Steveston and traveling through the spectacular Gulf and San Juan Islands. Our extensive whale spotting network, has given us a 95% sighting success rate. Our whale watching tour focuses on magnificent Orcas (Killer Whales) and majestic Humpback Whales, and other marine wildlife such as Porpoises, Sea Lions, Seals and Bald Eagles.

Large Zodiac Tours

The Explorathor and Express are open/semi-covered zodiac style vessels.  These boats are fast, yet very comfortable, ideal for all ages, families and groups.  They operate open air from mid-June to mid-September.

Discover magnificent Orcas (Killer Whales), majestic Humpback Whales, River Otters, Porpoises, Harbour Seals, Bald Eagles and more. During the spring and fall you can even see Sea Lions.

Small Zodiac Tours

For the more adventurous, an exhilarating open air ride on our 12-passenger zodiac vessels through the waters of the Strait of Georgia, the Gulf and San Juan Islands to see our majestic marine wildlife.

WHY BOOK WITH US?

When it comes to our service we’re proud to say we’re different. we offer something a little more special..

Our vessels are expedition style Zodiacs specifically designed for marine mammal viewing. The zodiac style hull allows for a smooth ride over the water, increasing passenger comfort and safety.

Come join Vancouver Whale Watch and explore our backyard together on a professionally guided 3 to 5 hour tour through the Gulf and San Juan islands. Our over two decades of experience ensures your adventure is the best one ever.

Steveston is a charming and quaint fishing village located just 35 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Our guests can enjoy museums, shops, scenic areas, fish & chips or an ice cream on the quayside.

PROFESSIONAL WILDLIFE GUIDES

Professional Wildlife Guides are on board each trip to enhance passengers knowledge and enjoyment. They have completed courses in Marine Emergency Training and First Aid.

SHUTTLE SERVICE & PARKING

Our “Orca Express” shuttles are air-conditioned and comfortable. We offer round trip transportation with knowledgeable drivers providing commentary from downtown Vancouver and Richmond.

OUR 'SIGHT UNSEEN' GUARANTEE

Our company is dedicated to going where the whales are and we have a 95% sighting success rate. However, should you not see a whale, you can come again for free until you do – for life, no expiry.

WHAT GUESTS SAY ABOUT US

Fantastic experience.

This was the best whale watching excursion I have been on. The boat was clean and safe feeling. The ride was smooth and we saw 5 whales through out our trip. [Our Guide] was knowledgeable and friendly, was eager to answer questions and share information about the whale behaviours we were seeing. I highly recommend this tour and with the limited passengers they made social distancing easy on-board.

AAA+ Best Whale Watching Experience

Absolutely incredible tour! Would do it all again in a heart beat. We watched two (and potentially a third) pods of transient killer whales play non stop for about 45 minutes or so. We then turned around and there was a humpback whale behind us! We hung out with that guy for quite some time too. We also saw seals and copious amounts of eagles nesting.

[Our Guides], they were super friendly, safe, incredibly knowledgeable ([One of our Guides] being a marine biologist who studies humpback whales), and very down to earth, and our captain, Mike was also a gem!

I would highly recommend this tour!

Not to be missed!

A professional and efficient organisation that did everything they could to give us a special day. From pick up to drop off this was a wholly enjoyable experience made so by the lovely driver Trevor of the shuttle bus and the friendly staff at the office and on the boat.

We were so lucky to have seen around 16 killer whales, a couple of bald-headed eagles and loads of seals and sea lions.

Definitely a day to remember!

WOW!! This was an experience we will cherish forever!

Everyone at Vancouver Whale Watch was so hospitable from the moment we booked our tour. The office staff was so kind when checking us in and getting any additional outerwear and lunch/snacks that we may need. [Our tour guide] and [our Captain] were so knowledgeable about the different wildlife and lead us straight to an amazing sighting of a pod of 9 killer whales. This is truly a must do tour! And everyone at Vancouver Whale Watch is sure to make it an unforgettable memory!!

THANK YOU everyone at VWW!!

We can’t wait to do another tour with you!!

A dream come true!!

Such an amazing experience!!! We saw California sea lions, harbour seals, bald eagles, and stellar sea lions. AND OH RIGHT… SO MANY KILLER WHALES!!!! The boat was great!! The upper viewing deck was awesome for ultimate views! The glassed-in area kept us warm while still letting us see outside!!

Our guide was so knowledgeable and friendly!! We learned so much and she was super easy to talk to and answered all our questions! There were tons of reference guides on board that had really cool info in them!!

[Our Captain] was amazing! We felt very safe the entire time and he brought us close to the whales while still maintaining their safety as well!

All the staff in the office were very helpful and friendly!! All in all would 100 PERCENT recommend to anyone that wants to adventure out to see some wildlife and learn a ton about our incredible world!!

Wonderful time…

We had a wonderful time! We saw a family of Orcas, and the captain let us enjoy them for a long time. Our guide was very informative and knowledgeable. We also saw bald eagles, seals, sea lions and a humpback whale. We were out for almost 5 hours. It was great weather. Definitely worth the money. It was pretty perfect. Thanks so much!

Wow. Amazing! Thank you Vancouver Whale Watch for an amazing experience, you promised whales and you did not disappoint. We had to go a long way to find them but it was worth it. A pod of 6 orcas that we watched for about 30 minutes. [Our Guide] was fantastic and was able to identify the pod and tell us all about the family unit. Mummy was T65A, and I bought the postcard in the shop. She was so passionate about whale conservation and her depth of knowledge very impressive. Learnt a lot. Thank you. [Our Captain] was a great skipper and navigated us across very choppy water over to the islands. I can see why the orange suits are a necessity but think I was sat in the splash zone in the boat! A most exhilarating ride. We also saw seals and bald eagles. Would definitely recommend this company if you want to go find some whales.

OUR PROMISE

No request is too big or small for our team. if it matters to you, it matters to us. let us make your excursion a memory of a lifetime..

Cruise ship reaches Vancouver with dead whale

A cruise ship arrived at the Port of Vancouver with a dead whale lodged in its bow.

The Princess Cruise Lines' Sapphire Princess was docked at the Canada Place terminal Saturday with the whale stuck to it. It wasn't immediately known when it arrived or when the collision occurred.

Some tourists visiting one of the city's most impressive downtown destinations took pictures of the whale. Several employees at Canada Place, home to the Vancouver Convention Centre and the Pan Pacific Hotel, also strolled over to stare at the animal.

The terminal that draws thousands of passengers travelling to Alaska every summer.

• Australia edition
• International edition
• Europe edition

Thousands of whales are being killed by passing ships. Can we save them?

Large numbers of cetaceans are dying from lethal collisions with vessels, even in protected areas. Now science may provide the means to protect them

J anie Wray could tell there was something horribly wrong from the way her colleague gasped. They were on a research station off the coast of British Columbia and Wray’s colleague was watching live drone footage through a pair of goggles. “She just went, oh my God ,” says Wray.

She had spotted a humpback whale on its migration south, swimming without the use of its tail. Wray and her colleagues at BC Whales crowded around a computer screen to watch the footage. “Immediately, we all knew that we had a whale that most likely had a broken back,” she says. It was almost certainly the result of a ship strike. Later, they discovered it was a whale they knew: Moon.

A collision with a vessel is one of the main threats to whales and if the whale does not die on impact, it is usually only a question of time. In Moon’s case, Wray knows she made the 3,000 mile migration to Hawaii. “We’re actually hoping that she has passed,” says Wray. She has not been seen since December.

With potentially thousands of whales hit every year, and with the number of ships rapidly increasing across the globe, the problem is only getting worse. But as the recent UN high seas treaty shows, there is increasing political will to protect the world’s oceans and their inhabitants. The question is whether it is even possible to save the whales from dying at the bows of ships. New technology suggests yes – but it’s going to take all hands on deck.

C ommercial whaling, which killed 3m whales in the 20th century, was banned in most countries in the mid-1980s. But since then, another threat has continued to grow: ocean traffic. Worldwide ship numbers quadrupled between 1992 and 2012 and while it is driven by increased traffic in Asia it is happening everywhere.

For example, along western Europe, the density of ships and boats increased by more than a third in the mid-2010s, according to a recent paper. “Cargo boats, fishing boats, ferries… Vessel traffic is increasing across the whole spectrum,” says Sarah Marley from Scotland’s Rural College, who led the work. That’s true even within protected areas, for example around the Inner Hebrides, which is home to a third of Scotland’s harbour porpoises and where traffic rose by over 400%.

Consequently, the risk of fatal ship strikes has ballooned. Global data is limited, but if we extrapolate from regional studies, Sean Brillant from the Canadian Wildlife Federation says the annual number is “shockingly large – thousands to tens of thousands”. And according to the International Whaling Commision (IWC), strikes are increasing. Its analysis suggests vulnerable species are at risk across the globe: from blue whales in Chile to sperm whales in the Mediterranean.

So far, there have been two main solutions. One has been to reroute shipping lanes away from whale habitat, which, despite its effectiveness , rarely happens . The other is speed limits, but they vary in scale and enforcement. For example, while mandatory to follow in regions on the American east coast to protect the last few North Atlantic right whales , they are only recommended on the west coast.

And that can be felt in the Santa Barbara channel in California. It houses both a busy shipping lane into Los Angeles as well as endangered blue, fin and humpback whales. “[It] just happens to be one of these global hotspots of whale and ship overlap,” says Callie Steffen from the University of California Santa Barbara. 2018, 2019 and 2021 were all record years for ship strikes there.

In an effort to increase compliance with the speed guidance, Steffen and her colleagues started the Whale Safe project in 2020, based on the idea that if crews were more aware of whales, they might be more mindful. Consequently, they track the whales – combining satellite information, sightings from whale-watchers and data from acoustics buoys that listen for whale calls underwater – to compute a “whale presence rating”.

This is sent to incoming ships to remind captains to slow down and it appears to be working; in 2019, 46% of ships followed the guidelines and by 2022 it was 61.5%. “We really want to make sure that these numbers are going the right way and hopefully faster,” says Steffen. But even if all ships did comply, not everyone is convinced it is going to be enough.

I n most places that have whale-protective speed restrictions or guidelines, the limit is 10 knots or 18.5 km/h. The figure is based on a number of studies that compared fatal strikes to strikes that, allegedly, didn’t kill the whale. The results showed that the probability of a whale dying of a strike is around 50% at 10 knots, compared to the near-certainty of death at double the speed.

But as Moon illustrates, not all struck whales die immediately and recent research suggests that even if 95% of large ships in the Santa Barbara channel slowed to 10 knots, the reduction in whale mortality would be 30% at most. In fact, if you look at the raw physics of a collision, like Brillant and his colleagues did in 2020 , it becomes clear that there is no speed that can really be considered safe.

They found that the risk of killing a whale at 10 knots is still around 80% for large ships, while for smaller vessels such as fishing boats, the risk remains above 50%. “It means two things,” says Brillant. “One is that we can’t rely on speed restrictions to solve this problem… And number two is that we do need to pay attention to the small vessels.”

To Brillant, the clear implication is that we need full exclusion zones where no boats are allowed, but such areas cannot be implemented everywhere. He mentions the southern gulf of Saint Lawrence, where North Atlantic right whales swim between two feeding grounds. “One of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, coming into the Great Lakes, goes east-west, and the whales are going north-south. There’s no solution to that,” he says.

In those situations, he pins his hopes on the imperfect speed restrictions. But one physicist-turned-marine researcher thinks he has found a way to make them more effective. Instead of giving captains a general whale rating, he has developed a system that pings them when they are heading for a strike, just in time to swerve.

D aniel Zitterbart’s whale-alert system has been in the pipeline for a decade. Now, he says, he and his colleagues at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts are nearing the finish line.

In their latest paper , they model the chances of ships spotting whales in time to avoid them when using their now commercialised system: software hooked up to thermal cameras that detect the hot air exhaled through whale blowholes at the surface. For smaller, manoeuvrable ships that need less time to react, the probability “is already 99%”, says Zitterbart.

Unwieldy, high-speed container ships, on the other hand, need much more warning time, so the cameras have to detect whales when they are further away. Because blows last only a few seconds, they are tricky to reliably detect at a distance. “Right now [the reliable detection range] is between two and three kilometres and actually we need it to go to about four,” says Zitterbart.

He says this is achievable within two to three years, at which point he says the chance of a fast container ship spotting a whale in time will be around 80%. “Changing your course by 0.1 degree to the right side if you know the whale is swimming to the left… If you have kilometres, your ship might just pull that off.” But slowing the ship to 10 knots drastically improves the odds too, meaning that speed limits and detection tech together could already be a winning combination.

Other, commercial detection systems are also starting to pop up: Orca AI, a company that makes smart machine-vision navigation systems, recently added a whale-detection function. Its co-founder Dor Raviv says it was a client sailing in speed-restricted Canadian waters that first approached him about it. “We truly believe that we have all the infrastructure in place,” he says now.

Some pitfalls remain. For instance, OrcaAI’s algorithms mainly detect the whale’s tail, but Zitterbart says whales only show their tails when diving, which usually takes them out of danger. There is also disagreement on whether detection tech should complement speed limits – Zitterbart’s work shows the two enhance each other, but some of Raviv’s clients might use the cameras as an excuse not to slow down.

Brillant is generally sceptical of early detection. He can’t see how any warning could make an enormous ship avoid a moving whale. “I just don’t believe they should gain much credit as preventative measures.”

And even if the tech does live up to its promise, companies need an incentive to invest – to start, thermal cameras cost between $30,000-$250,000. Zitterbart expects the rise of autonomous vessels will bring about that incentive, because “you don’t want your fancy autonomous vessel to run into an animal”. But the transition to no-crew ships will be slow, so the real challenge will be to get the tech on board vessels already at sea and he sees only one path to that. “If there is no regulator forcing it, people will just not do it.”

A chieving regulation, whether for mandatory speed limits, exclusion zones or detection kit, is easier said than done. The relatively straightforward policy of banning commercial whaling, for example, took decades. One thing that will help, though, is better data to reveal the true scale of the problem and what solutions have the most impact, but that depends on captains consistently reporting when they have hit a whale.

Wray hopes that Moon’s story will serve as encouragement to do just that and that talking about Moon will spur on legislators to take at least local action, such as creating slow-down zones along the coast of British Columbia in her memory. “I think if everybody just thinks about Moon, so that if they see a [whale’s] blow, they actually slow down,” she says. “That would be really wonderful.”

Why Moon made the seemingly impossible 3,000-mile journey to a breeding ground with a broken back is impossible to know, but Wray can’t stop wondering if she was pregnant. Whether she was or not, the mere possibility is a reminder that every fatal ship strike means both the loss of a whale and a setback to a recovering species.

• Seascape: the state of our oceans
• Marine life
• Conservation

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

• Entertainment
• Sports Sports Betting Podcasts Better Planet Vault Mightier Autos Newsletters Unconventional Vantage Experts Voices
• Subscribe for $1
• Sports Betting
• Better Planet
• Newsletters
• Unconventional

Passengers Horrified As Cruise Sails Into 'Distressing' Whale Massacre

A cruise line company has issued an apology to customers after their journey coincided with a whale hunt.

As the Ambassador cruise ship arrived in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, on Sunday, July 9, they were met with the culmination of a hunt of 78 pilot whales in the port.

"We were incredibly disappointed that this hunt occurred," a spokesperson for Ambassador Cruise Line told Newsweek . "Particularly at a time when our ship was in port and have offered our sincere apologies to all those onboard who may have witnessed this distressing occurrence."

The travelers arrived as the Tórshavn grindadráp hunt was taking place. Grindadráp is a Faroese term translating as "grind" meaning whale, and "dráp" meaning slaughter.

There is a long history of pilot whale and dolphin hunting in the Faroe Islands , deeply rooted in cultural traditions that go back several centuries. The hunts occur throughout the year and can take place at any time.

The practice involves local residents driving and herding pods of pilot whales toward the shores of designated bays or fjords.

Once they reach the shallow waters, whales are driven onto the beach where waiting hunters kill them using knives and hooks.

Faroe Islands Chief Adviser of Foreign Policy & Security Svein Magnason told Newsweek : "The practice of hunting pilot whales is regulated by law and organized to ensure the safety of participants and compliance with animal welfare legislation. Based on scientific research and continued monitoring, pilot whaling in the Faroe Islands is considered sustainable."

In 2021, the Faroese government was forced to launch a review after it was found that 1,423 dolphins were killed in just one hunt. Following this, they announced an annual catch limit of 500 dolphins. Pilot whales are also a protected species in the EU .

Sadly we have to report that there has been another sickening massacre of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands. 80-100 of these gentle dolphins were butchered today in the 6th Faroe grindadráp (hunt) of 2023. This takes the total cetaceans slaughtered in the archipelago this year… pic.twitter.com/iaO8pDHSEW — Blue Planet Society (@Seasaver) July 9, 2023

"We are utterly opposed to the commercial hunting of whales and dolphins in the Faroes," said Ambassador Cruise Line. "While traditional hunts of this type have taken place for many years in the Faroe Islands to sustain local communities, we strongly object to this outdated practice, which we believe is now becoming commercial, with meats sold in local supermarkets, for example."

"We don't support the hunt by coming here. We'll always use it as an opportunity to remind the authorities that tourists want to marvel at the wildlife and not to watch it being killed," they continued. "At some point, the long-term importance of tourist income will be recognized as being more sustainable, uncontroversial and appealing than an activity which has earned nothing for the Faroes other than condemnation globally."

Ambassador Cruise Line works in partnership with whale conservation charity ORCA, and two of their ocean experts were on deck at the time as over 40 boats and a helicopter herded and killed whales, including small calves, leaving the water blood red.

"It is a harrowing and upsetting thing for guests onboard to have witnessed, but it really drives home the reality of these hunts. Whales and dolphins around the Faroe Islands are under threat and understanding the impact that whaling has on their population is crucial to safeguarding them for the future," Sally Hamilton, CEO of ORCA, told Newsweek .

"Thanks to the determination of companies like Ambassador, ORCA has a platform monitor these vulnerable animals and to evidence the cruelty and brutality of this hunt. Incidents like this reveal a huge disconnect between what tourists want to see in terms of wildlife and the realities of the hunt. That is something the Faroes have to resolve if it sees tourism as an important, sustainable and uncontroversial revenue stream," she said.

The pilot whale is a marine mammal that belongs to the same family as dolphins and orcas. Known for social behavior and their distinctive flat face and curved pectoral fin, they are found in the North Atlantic Ocean including waters around the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway and the British Isles.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the long and short finned pilot whales as "data deficient," meaning that there is not sufficient information to accurately give them a population status.

"Our partnership with ORCA enables them to collect data around the Faroes from on board our ships, and to monitor the animals that are being hunted and killed, as has been the case here. This data is used to establish the impact of the hunts on pilot whales and other species in this little studied region," said the Ambassador Cruise Line.

"Pilot whaling continues to be a non-commercial, community-based activity. Catches are distributed among participants and local communities free of charge and are utilized for food," said Magnason, in defense of the practice.

He explained: "International law and agreements stress the need for states to cooperate on the management of marine mammals. The Faroe Islands recognize the importance of working through appropriate international organizations for the conservation, management and study of whales."

• Killer whale calf rescued from mass stranding thrives 10 years later
• Bison that became extinct in the Middle Ages born in Europe
• Fisherman swims 15 hours to shore after whale throws him overboard

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer

Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years she has specialized in viral trends and internet news, with a particular focus on animals, human interest stories, health, and lifestyle.

Alice joined Newsweek in 2022 and previously wrote for The Observer, Independent, Dazed Digital and Gizmodo. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with Alice by emailing [email protected].

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

• Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
• Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
• Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
• Comment on articles
• Newsweek app updates on-the-go

Top stories

America's Retirement Dream is Dying

Russia Loses Control of Key Island

How Playboy Model Blew Lid On Donald Trump Payments

Ron DeSantis VP Speculation Erupts After Donald Trump Meeting

Whale hit by cruise ship found dead in Vancouver

Dead whale has washed up in Burrard Inlet in Vancouver. Canadian authorities who inspected the whale said it was struck by a cruise ship.

The whale was hit north of Vancouver Island by the cruise ship “The Seven Seas Navigator”, that was returning from Alaska.

John Ford, research scientist with FOC said - this is the third time since the 1990s that a fin whale has been found near Vancouver after being hit by a cruise ship,.

The Fisheries Department says the whale was up to 20 meters long, and was tied up to a dock before being towed away this morning for a necropsy that will be carried out this afternoon. Fin whales are the second largest whale in the world, after the blue whale.

Recent posts

US Coast Guard Airlifts Carnival Sunshine Team Mem...

Hard Rock International Teams Up with Royal Caribb...

AIDA Cruises to Broadcast UEFA EURO...

Whale impaled on cruise ship in Vancouver

Social sharing.

A cruise ship pulled into the Port of Vancouver on Saturday morning with a dead fin whale impaled on its bow.

Jeff MacDonald, who was at Canada Place watching the ship come in, said seeing the impaled mammal "was a shock. You don't expect to see something like that and, you know, there's a lot of people staring at it — it's a very sad thing to see — and you kind of wonder how it would happen in the first place.

"It wasn't something you wanted to see on a nice Saturday morning in Vancouver."

Martha Weber, visiting from Florida, said she was scheduled to board the ship Saturday afternoon.

She said the sight was "very sad."

"I'm a conservationist so that makes me pretty upset and sad. I came here to see them alive in the wild, and this is not what I wanted to see."

Christianne Wilhelmson, the managing director of the marine conservation group Georgia Strait Alliance, said incidents like this are all too common.

"It's kind of a tragic example of what happens when ships meet whales … There's more and more tanker traffic, there's more and more cruise ship traffic and what you have is an animal that's trying to make its way through all this."

Wilhelmson said that traffic generates a lot of noise underwater, which confuses the whales.

"They can't talk to each other, they can't hear their environment. We're going to have more incidents like this," she said.

"It's very possible that what happened here is the animal just had no idea the ship was there and this tragedy happened because of that."

Witnesses said the Princess Cruise Lines' Sapphire Princess pulled into port to allow passengers to disembark.

In a statement released on Saturday, the company said it was "shocked and saddened" by the discovery, and regretted the circumstances that led to the whale's death.

It emphasized the strict policy the company has in place to avoid whales and marine life, and added it was not known how or when the whale became impaled.

Related Stories

• VIDEO: Deborah Goble reports: Whale impaled on cruise ship in Vancouver (Runs 2:25)
• Dead whale found on cruise ship's bow