Dead Whale On Bow Of Container Ship In Tacoma

A dead whale was caught on the bow of a container ship coming into the Port of Tacoma Friday morning, said the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The whale was spotted in the Blair Waterway just before 6 a.m. Friday.

NMFS spokesman, Brian Gorman, said the whale is a calf, possibly a sei or fin whale, 20 to 30 feet in length.

“These whales, sei and fin whale, whichever it turns out to be are not very common this close to shore. They're more open ocean whales,” Gorman said.

SLIDESHOW: Tugboat Hauls Whale Through Port

Biologists with Cascadia Research Collective, a non-profit animal research organization based in Olympia, have observed the carcass and found a large gash in the whale's throat, indicating an attack by a predator such as an orca or shark. They don’t know if the attack killed the whale or if it came after its death.

There are also conflicting accounts of how the whale got here.

Gorman said it was spotted on the bow of the ship by a tug crew, but Mattina said it was first seen in the water near the ship by port security officers.

“Likely came in with the ship, although we don't know the cause of death at this point,” said Tara Mattina of the Port of Tacoma.

The carcass is being taken to McNeil Island to a facility run by the Cascadia Research Cooperative where the necropsy will be conducted.