This is disturbing. If we don't watch out for the whales who will. I can't believe that a company as large as Princess Cruises would try and hide such a thing. I am glad that they in the end pleded guilty. It is also nice to see that policies have been put into place to protect these wildlife areas. The whales are an amazig site, and I don't think the ocean's should be off limit to cruise lines, however you are responsible for your actions.
Cruise line fined in wake of humpback death
$750,000: A Princess ship was going too fast near Glacier Bay where a dead whale was found.
By MARY PEMBERTONThe Associated Press
Published: January 30, 2007 Last Modified: January 30, 2007 at 01:34 AM
Princess Cruise Lines was sentenced Monday for failing to operate one of its ships in a slow, safe manner near Glacier Bay National Park where a humpback whale was later found dead of massive skull fractures.
The body of the 45-foot, pregnant humpback whale was found floating in Icy Strait near the mouth of Glacier Bay in Southeast Alaska in July 2001. Humpback whales are an endangered species.
"Our marine mammals are national treasures to be preserved for future generations. We must protect them from criminal and negligent acts committed by individuals or large corporations," said Nelson Cohen, U.S. Attorney for Alaska, describing the case as a first-of-its kind prosecution.
While not agreeing Monday that one of its ships hit the whale, Princess Cruise Lines paid a maximum $200,000 fine, plus $550,000 in restitution to the National Park Foundation, with the funds specifically dedicated to Glacier Bay National Park conservation efforts.
"We take our responsibility to be good stewards of the environment very seriously," said Princess Cruises chief executive Peter Ratcliffe. He said the company regretted "the circumstances involving Dawn Princess."
The company pleaded guilty to knowingly failing to operate the cruise ship at a slow, safe speed while near two whales on July 12, 2001. The federal regulation on speed was implemented in 2001.
Princess spokeswoman Julie Benson said this was the first time this type of encounter had occurred involving one of its ships visiting Glacier Bay National Park. Princess made 75 calls at Glacier Bay last year and plans on 84 this year.
The humpback whale that was found dead was first identified by researchers in 1975 and was named "Snow" because of her fluke markings. Her injuries were consistent with being struck by a ship, said Tomie Lee, superintendent of Glacier Bay National Park.
Princess said after the encounter with the whale it implemented guidelines for how its ships should operate when whales are near. It also instituted procedures and speed restrictions for the Icy Strait area, with ships not to exceed 11.5 miles per hour when in the strait south of the national park.
According to prosecutors, passengers and crew on the ship's bridge spotted two humpback whales on the afternoon of July 12, 2001. When first spotted, the whales were between one-quarter and a half-mile off the left side of the ship. They were headed on a course that could intersect the ship's route.
The Dawn Princess continued accelerating and did not change course. Within 100 yards of the cruise ship, one of the whales dove deep, but the other did not, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Alaska.
As the other whale passed out of sight under the vessel's prow, some people aboard the cruise ship reported feeling the ship shudder. The captain ran to the right bridge wing to look for the whales. He noted that the vessel was traveling at 16 miles an hour at the time. The whales were not seen again, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
The Dawn Princess made no report of a possible collision to the National Park Service or any other government agency. The close encounter also was not mentioned in the ship's log. The captain also did not preserve the recording of what occurred on the bridge, federal officials said.
However, the next day the on-board ship's naturalist e-mailed a colleague saying the ship may have struck a whale. She wrote that the whales seemed to be unaware of the ship and as the ship passed there was no sign from the bridge that contact had been made. She estimated the ship's speed at between about 17 and 20 miles per hour.
The naturalist, who was not identified, said friends below deck told her they heard a "resounding thud."
The dead whale was found July 16, 2001, near the area where the Dawn Princess had earlier been traveling.
There are approximately 20,000 humpback whales worldwide. Of those, about 6,000 humpbacks make up the North Pacific population, most of which feed in Alaska during the summer. They migrate to Hawaii in the fall where they give birth.
Whales have tangled with ships several times in the busy Alaska cruising lanes. Last August, a ship owned by Celebrity Cruises pulled into port in Seward with a whale carcass pinned to its bow. In 2003, a humpback carcass was found floating near the mouth of Yakutat Bay. After an exam, veterinarians determined it was killed by a ship strike. In 1999, the cruise ship Westerdam reported hitting a whale in Stephens Passage in Southeast, according to news reports.
Daily News reporter Julia O'Malley contributed to this story.
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