The Daily Populous Saturday May 11st, 2024 night edition
Image from preview.redd.it and submitted by eXcelleNt-

eXcelleNt- on May 10th, 2024 at 08:01 UTC »

Photo credit: Michael McKenna - The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (Bringantine, New Jersey, USA)

OppositeOfSanity on May 10th, 2024 at 09:19 UTC »

> A cruise ship sailed into a New York City port with a 44-foot dead whale across its bow, marine authorities said.

> The whale, identified as an endangered sei whale, was caught on the ship's bow when it arrived at the Port of Brooklyn on Saturday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries spokesperson Andrea Gomez said. A necropsy conducted later confirmed the whale's species and determined that the creature was a mature female, said the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, a nonprofit organization that conducted the exam on an marine mammal.

> "We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale," officials with the cruise line said in a statement.

> "We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life," the officials said, adding that the Geneva-based MSC Cruises follows all regulations designed to protect whales, such as altering itineraries in certain regions to avoid hitting the animals.

Seems to have been a tragic accident.

Spartan2470 on May 10th, 2024 at 13:32 UTC »

Here is a higher quality version of this image. The source of it (and four other images of this) is the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society's FB page. Per there:

> May 8 at 3:19 PM

> Yesterday, our team was able to conduct a necropsy on the whale that was reported on Saturday, May 4, 2024, brought in to the Port of Brooklyn on the bow of a cruise ship. The whale has been identified as a 44-foot, mature female Sei whale. Sei whales are endangered, and are typically observed in deeper waters far from the coastline. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating this incident. The whale was relocated and towed to shore at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to allow for better access to heavy equipment and resources to conduct a necropsy.

> The necropsy examination (animal autopsy) revealed evidence of tissue trauma along the right shoulder blade region, and a right flipper fracture. The whale’s gastrointestinal tract was also full of food. Most of the other organs were sampled as well for toxicology and other life history studies. Samples were collected and will be sent for histopathologic analysis. The tissue and bone samples collected will help biologists determine if the vessel interaction occurred pre or post mortem.

> We would like to thank everyone who helped make this four-day event possible, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters, National Park Service, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Monmouth County Department of Public Works and Engineering, Northern NJ Sea Tow, the Sea Bright Fire Rescue Squad, and NOAA Fisheries New England/Mid-Atlantic for their logistical coordination and resources to move the animal to a secure location, making the necropsy exam possible. In addition we would like to again thank our network partners, Marine Mammal Stranding Center and Mystic Aquarium, the Cornell University team, and all the volunteers who assisted us with the yesterday’s examination.

> All dolphins, porpoises, and whales are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes touching, feeding, or otherwise harming these animals illegal. The best way to assist these animals, and keep them and yourself safe, is by calling trained responders and maintaining a 150-foot distance. To report strandings of marine mammals and sea turtles in NY, call the NYS Stranding Hotline: 631-369-9829

> ** Photo Credit: Michael McKenna- Marine Mammal Stranding Center