Canadian biologists extracted a whale from the bow of the Sapphire Princess cruise ship. The Sapphire Princess docked in Vancouver with the 20-metre long fin whale impaled on its bow. Divers swam out and attached ropes to the whale which allowed a small boat to pull the whale off of the ship. A spokesman for The Princess Cruise Lines said the whale was discovered just as the vessel was preparing to enter the port. The cruise line could not confirm when the whale was struck or how long the whale had been on the front of the ship. In Vancouver Harbor, spectators jostled for a glimpse of the whale and many snapped photos using cell phone cameras. That bow is like a spear. Once they're hit it usually breaks their back. Kills them almost instantly, Craig Delahunt, a veteran sailor and owner of Tymac Launch Service said. Delahunt has worked in Vancouver Harbor for nearly twenty years and said he has seen a whale spearing on three other occasions. He also believes the whale must have been struck further north as the ship traveled from Alaska to Vancouver.
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