Whale Watchers Spot Endangered Fin Whale in Puget Sound

SEATTLE (AP) — For the first time in many years, the second largest animal in the world -- the fin whale -- has been spotted near Minor Island in north Puget Sound.

KING-TV reports that whale watchers saw the animal on Thursday.

Michael Harris of Puget Sound Express Whale Watching says fin whale used to be common in the area, but commercial hunting off Vancouver Island decimated the local population.

Marine biology professor Jonathan Stern says fin whales have a very distinctive exhalation. That's how they knew it wasn't a minke or humpback whale.

The fin whale appeared to be a juvenile. Adults can reach 85 feet and 75 tons, and live as long as 90 years. They are listed as an endangered species.