The whale found impaled on the bow of the Sapphire Princess last month in Vancouver was dead before the ship hit it, according to the Canadian government.
The UPI reported that an official from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said that the rare fin whale was dead for days before impact with the Sapphire Princess. The ship was returning from an Alaska cruise.
An analysis found that the whale -- a 40-ton, pre-adult female -- had already been decomposing when it was hit, and is believed to have been dead from five to seven days. The cause of death had not been determined.
The report said that Princess paid to have the carcass towed into the Pacific Ocean to serve as food for other marine life.