Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve biologist Janet Neilson spotted a humpback whale with a deep gash behind its dorsal fin near Willoughby Island on June 27. Park service officials are asking for information regarding the whale-vessel collision that caused this injury.
The whale, identified as #2583, is an adult of unknown sex that has been observed in Glacier Bay and Icy Strait since 2013. The whale was sighted in good health on June 16.
The gash appeared to be about one foot deep and fresh, possibly hours old. The depth of the cut indicates that the whale was struck by a medium to large vessel.
“I’ve been studying humpback whales for close to 30 years, and I’ve been in Glacier Bay since 1997 and I’ve never seen a whale with such a severe injury that’s still alive,” Neilson said.
Though the cut exposed blubber, it was not bleeding. The whale was not acting abnormally. According to Neilson, Chris Gabriele, another park service whale biologist, saw whale #2583 on July 2 still behaving normally.
“So that is all really promising, but I would say the prognosis is unknown for the whale in terms of whether it will survive in the long-term,” Neilson said. “For it to survive in the long term that wound needs to heal, not become infected.”
The National Park Service press release about the incident notes that there were several whale-vessel collisions in Icy Strait and Cross Sound last year, with two resulting in deaths. Last week, a whale with a shallow propeller gash behind her dorsal fin was documented by Gabriele near Pleasant Island in Icy Straight.
Regulations for private boaters in Glacier Bay are intended to prevent collisions.
In Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, boats are prohibited from approaching within a quarter nautical mile of a humpback whale. Vessel limits are also in place between June 1 and Aug. 31 in order to protect marine wildlife including whales. From May 1 to Sept. 30, vessels are required to contact “KWM20 Bartlett Cove” on marine VHF radio prior to entering and exiting Glacier Bay waters.
When she saw the injured whale, Neilson was collecting observations as part of the Humpback Whale Monitoring Program.
Real-time data collected through this program and historical knowledge of the whale distribution, are used to designate “whale waters.” “Whale waters” traditionally or temporarily have high numbers of feeding humpback whales and have their own sets of regulations for boats.
New whale waters areas in the lower West Arm and Whidbey Passage were announced by the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Acting Superintendent Joni Seay on June 27 to protect more than 25 humpback whales feeding in this area.
Neilson said this system of monitoring and regulations is effective in preventing collisions.
“We really think of it as being a really special thing that we can offer here in the park to the whales that spend time feeding here,” she said. “In other places where they’re feeding in Southeast Alaska, vessels can get a lot closer.”
In all waters within 200 nautical miles of Alaska, boaters are required to maintain at least 100 yards distance from whales or disrupt their normal behavior, according to a 2001 NOAA regulation.
The park service reminds boaters to be aware of whale protection regulations in Glacier Bay and other waters, and move cautiously in areas where whales may be present.
The park service is also requesting that anyone with information regarding the vessel contact the park at 907-697-2230.
“It’d be really very valuable to understand the circumstances that led to this collision, not to say that anybody did anything wrong, but just to understand what happened, whether it was in poor visibility or rough seas, or they saw the whale beforehand or not,” Neilson said. “Those kinds of pieces of information can really help us to understand what the contributing factors are to collisions, and then by understanding what contributes to collisions, we can help direct our management efforts to reduce the risk of collisions in the future.”
