A tugboat tows a dead fin whale found on the bow of the Norwegian Joy as the cruise ship arrived in Sitka on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Federal fisheries researchers are investigating the whale’s death. (Photo provided by James Boyko)
A fin whale was found dead on the bow of a cruise ship in Sitka on Thursday, the second time this summer that one of the endangered whales has met such a fate coming into an Alaska port.
Federal officials were notified of the whale and the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network team is responding to assess and determine next steps, according to Jennifer Angelo, a spokesperson for the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region office.
Asked if the agency can say whether the whale was killed by the strike or was already dead before the vessel encountered it, Angelo said it was too early to tell.
“We don’t have any of that information yet,” she said.
The cruise ship involved was the Norwegian Joy, operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
James Boyko, traveling aboard the ship, shared a message that was provided to passengers about the “encounter with marine life” that occurred Thursday morning.
“We are deeply saddened by this situation and have been working closely with the appropriate authorities and relevant wildlife experts as part of the assessment process,” said the letter, signed by Capt. Dan Svensson.
The ship was delayed by more than 2 1/2 hours getting to port in Sitka and left about 90 minutes later than scheduled, according to the letter.
Earlier this week in Whittier, an $80 million cruise ship terminal built by a partnership including Norwegian Cruise Line suffered a destructive dock fire. Another ship, the Norwegian Jade, was in the vicinity but undamaged.
The Norwegian Joy was due in Sitka at 8 a.m. Thursday, according to the cruise ship calendar. Several passengers aboard the ship described docking delays as crews worked to remove the whale.
One passenger told KIRO Newsradio that an announcement was made at roughly 7:45 a.m. “telling travelers that everything had been shut down as crews worked to remove the whale,” the outlet reported. The passenger told KIRO that the whale appeared to have a “visible wound” or discolored area on its belly.
The discovery of the dead whale in Sitka comes several months after another fin whale was found dead on another cruise ship, this one in Seward in June. The ship involved in the strike was the Royal Caribbean Ovation of The Seas.
Federal scientists found the pregnant whale died from injuries consistent with a vessel strike.
Fin whales are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. They feed in Alaska during the summer and migrate to subtropical waters to give birth in winter. Their name derives from an easily spotted back fin near the tail.
Fin whales are the second-largest whale species on Earth, behind the blue whale, according to a NOAA overview that says vessel strikes are currently the major threat to the whales.