Washington Ferry Strikes Humpback Whale Near Mukilteo

SEATTLE, WA — A Washington State Ferry hit and potentially killed a humpback whale on its way to the Mukilteo ferry landing Monday.

According to the Pacific Whale Watch Association, the captain of a nearby Puget Sound Express whale watching vessel had tried to notify the WSF ferry Tokitae that there were a pair of humpbacks in the area, but the Tokitae did not slow down or change course, and ended up striking one of the humpbacks as it surfaced.

Video footage taken by Ariel Yseth, a naturalist with Whale Scout who was aboard the whale watching ship, shows the whale struggling after the crash, eventually disappearing into the Puget Sound:

The Pacific Whale Watch Association, or PWWA, says they believe the whale died shortly after the crash, and that they are working to identify the whale and its swimming partner.

In a statement sent to Patch, the PWWA said they hope to better collaboration in the future can prevent whale strikes:

"While the PWWA recognizes this was a tragic accident, our goal in the future is to work closely with WSF, WDFW, NOAA, and the maritime community to provide real-time alerts to the presence of whales throughout the Salish Sea, hopefully avoiding future whale ship strikes such as this."

This is not an unprecedented incident. Around this same time last year, a humpback whale was fatally hit by a ferry sailing from Seattle to Bainbridge Island.

In an attempt to prevent strikes just like these, Washington ferries received a new whale alert system late last October. The Whale Report Alert System reports whale sightings in real-time via Ocean Wise's WhaleReport app, broadcasting that information to ferry captains. Those reports include the time of the sighting, what species of whale was spotted, how many there were, where the whales were seen and where they were headed.

Washington State Ferries say their crews were using the Whale Report Alert System at the time of the crash, but they are still trying to piece together how the accident could've happened. WSF says they believe all their whale safety protocols were correctly followed by the crew, and they're interviewing crew members aboard the Tokitae to better determine what happened leading up to the collision.

WSF has also called NOAA for assistance reviewing footage from the scene and determining the timeline surrounding the accident. Both agencies say they have not been able to definitively confirm whether or not the whale has died, and they're asking anyone who may have recently seen an injured whale in the Puget Sound to call NOAA at 1-866-767-6114.

Whale strikes are not the only threat ferries pose to the local whale population. The noise ferries generate can have a negative impact on marine wildlife, and interferes with the orca's ability to hunt.

Related stories:

Washington Ferries Get Upgraded Whale Alert System

Ferry Noise Study Looks For Ways To Quiet Down For Whales

Whale Hit By State Ferry Near Seattle