SEWARD, ALASKA — A pregnant fin whale was found dead on the bow of a cruise ship that docked in Seward, Alaska. The whale was discovered on the "bulbous bow" of the vessel upon its arrival in southern Alaska.

The 61-foot whale was towed to a beach near the port in Seward. NOAA Fisheries worked with the Alaska SeaLife Center to perform a necropsy on the adult female, which indicated that the whale was pregnant. The law enforcement office of NOAA Fisheries opened an investigation into the fin whale's death.

In a Facebook post, NOAA Fisheries Alaska stated, "Please stay off the beach at the necropsy site for your safety and to allow space for the team to perform the examination and collect samples." The agency also noted, "it is illegal for anyone to collect tissue, baleen or any part of the whale, unless you are an Alaska Native collecting tissue or parts for subsistence or use in handicrafts." NOAA Fisheries asked anyone with information to report it using the office's 24-hour hotline.

Fin whales are an endangered species and are the second-largest whale species on Earth, behind the blue whale. Fin whales became endangered with the rise of modern whaling methods in the middle of the 20th century. The whaling industry killed nearly 725,000 fin whales in the Southern Hemisphere during that period. Conservationists state that vessel strikes represent the most serious threat to fin whales.