Whale possibly hit by ferry near Mukilteo dock

MUKILTEO, Wash. - Washington State Ferries is investigating whether one of its ferries hit a whale Monday. 

Christopher Hanke, a captain at Puget Sound Express, a whale-watching company, said they noticed a pair of humpback whales near the Mukilteo ferry dock. 

He says his crew alerted nearby ferries and they acknowledge the alert, but it may have been too late. Other witnesses say they saw the ferry hit the whale. 

"It's that a-ha moment, like you can't believe what you're watching, because humpback whales will go down, they'll go down for a couple minutes, so if we know which direction they're heading we can have an idea of where they're at, but we don't always know exactly where they're going to come up, and that was one of those moments.

"Where the whale came up is right where it should not have been," Hanke said. 

It's still unclear if the ferry hit the whale. WSF is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to review video and investigate further. If you see a wounded whale in the area, you're encouraged to call NOAA.