- Sei whale carcass dragged into Hudson River
- Strike is third in north-east waters in recent weeks
theguardian.com, Saturday 24 May 2014 14.13 BST
A cruise ship heading for New York this month struck and killed a whale and dragged it into the Hudson River, part of a higher-than-usual rate of strikes along the eastern seaboard for this time of year, a federal agency said.
There were three whale strikes recently, including one in which a cruise ship hit a sei whale and did not discover it until it reached port, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
In a similar case, a sei whale was found dead and attached to a container ship that was docking near Philadelphia, NOAA said.
The whales may be following food sources closer to shore, NOAA said. An increased food supply has recently been cited for a large increase in the number of humpback whales off Massachusetts.
The agency issued a reminder to mariners of measures already in place to protect whales, including speed limits and distances.
"Nobody wants to hit a whale," said Marjorie Mooney-Seus, a spokeswoman. "So we want people to have a greater awareness that they're out there now."
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