Blame 7 dead whales on offshore wind labeled dangerous by some NJ climate activists

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Using words like unscientific, baseless and dangerous, a group of climate activists on Tuesday condemned the association of offshore wind projects to 7 dead whales that have washed ashore in New Jersey and New York since early December.

The Atlantic City press conference came almost exactly a week after Clean Ocean Action, a Long Branch-based nonprofit, led Save LBI, the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association and other Jersey organizers Shore calling for a federal investigation into what they claimed was an unprecedented string. half a dozen dead whales.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that so far work studying the winds at sea has not been found to be the cause of the whales’ deaths. But after a seventh whale washed ashore in Brigantine, in what officials later said was likely due to a collision with a ship, Governor Phil Murphy said an investigation was underway noting that the pre – construction of offshore wind turbines would continue.

So far, no evidence has linked the development of offshore wind to the deaths of humpback and sperm whales, five of which have been reported in New Jersey and it is unclear whether seven whale deaths in just over a month is atypical, some activists and officials said. Some organizers suspected survey work, including sonar mapping and increased vessel activity, could have a fatal impact on marine life. However, as of now, state and federal agencies have not established a link.

What we know that kills whales is plastic pollution and what we know that kills whales is derelict fishing gear, Jennifer Coffey, executive director of the Association of Environmental Commissions of the New Jersey nonprofit.

I think any time someone uses the guise of science without actually looking at the data to push their own agenda, that’s dangerous, Coffey added after the press conference, and when we were talking about fighting the climate change, the stakes could not be higher.

Stewart Farrell, founder of the Center for Coastal Research at nearby Stockton University and a retired professor, said on Tuesday afternoon that data from autopsies and after-death examinations could help clarify the cause of the series of whale deaths.

They do forensic tests on the carcasses, which could tell if it’s a) disease, b) trauma or some unknown factor that might be hard to trace, Farrell said.

While Farrell declined to speculate on other causes of death until investigations are complete, he said ship traffic in and around New Jersey continues to be high, as do humpback whale sightings.

Bob Stern of Save LBI said his coalition was wary of the possible impact noise and vessels carrying out survey work could have on whales migrating nearby. He also asked for more clarity on how necropsies are performed.

Seeing no strenuous effort on the part of responsible agencies to organize a qualified and independent team to analyze this, we are requesting vessel data to see if survey vessels were in the same vicinity at the same time as these incidents, the field noise measurements and autopsy reports to determine whether the investigations are a plausible cause or not, Stern said in a statement in reference to a letter Save LBI sent this week to state and county officials. federal government.

Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, in a statement responding to Tuesday’s press conference, continued to call seven whale deaths in an unprecedented 39 days.

Above all, why should offshore wind pass the scrutiny to ensure the protection of the marine ecosystem, especially for endangered and protected species? All industrial activity, especially reckless industrial development of massive scope, scale, scale and speed, should be required to demonstrate that it protects the marine ecosystem, Zipf said. This is why Clean Ocean Action also continues to call for a pilot project to assess threats. A pilot project could inform responsibly developed offshore wind, which was Governor Murphy’s promise.

Allison McLeod, director of public policy for the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, said Tuesday that a permit approval process was in place for offshore developers so that any impact on the environment and marine life would be apparent.

In the week since the most recent whale deaths were reported, the rhetoric about whether offshore projects could harm whales has in some cases turned into political back and forth about the validity of the alternative. clean energy in the broad sense.

Still, State Sen. Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, who was in attendance Tuesday, said after the news conference that he still felt a halt to offshore wind exploration work was necessary.

Asked by NJ Advance Media if the correlation between offshore wind and the death of whales in order to oppose turbines as a whole was relevant to him, Polistina replied: I think so…we definitely need renewable energy, so that’s part of everyone’s goal. We must continue our efforts in favor of wind, solar and other technologies (clean energy).

I don’t think that calls for a complete shutdown (of turbine building), he added, but neither do I think that going on blindly without having all the facts is the right thing to do.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which responds to whale strandings in New Jersey, deferred comments Tuesday to NOAA. In an update on a necropsy performed on the recently beached whale at Brigantine on Sunday, the center said the whale had blunt force injuries that appeared to indicate it had been struck by a ship.

Although there has been speculation as to whether these whale deaths are linked to the development of wind energy, at this stage no whale deaths have been attributed to offshore wind activities, the center said in a summary of the examination performed on the dead whale.

Captain Paul Eidman, who operates Reel Therapy Fly & Light Tackle Fishing Charters and is associated with the non-profit group Menhaden Defenders, said on Tuesday he was monitoring vessel and whale movements and so far he has not had not seen evidence of the development of wind harming animals.

Offshore wind offers a clean, economical and beneficial opportunity to tackle the climate crisis and an alternative to continue burning fossil fuels, Eidman said at the press conference. Those who use the tragic death of these whales to denounce any offshore power are indulging in unscientific speculation.

READ MORE: Offshore wind work will continue despite 7 dead whales and investigation, says Murphy

Waves crash over an approximately 20ft long hump that washed ashore in the North End Brigantine on Friday January 13, 2022. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

So far, 176 dead beached humpback whales have been reported in 13 states, including New Jersey, according to a NOAA report that began in 2016 and highlights a spike in whale deaths (or unusual mortality).

Of those dead whales, about 87 were examined and about 40% of those examined died from ship strikes or entanglements, NOAA said. It’s unclear how the others died, but the federal agency has previously said the decomposition may prevent examinations in any case and research continues into the cause of death of some of the recently beached whales.

Before a whale was beached in Brigantine on January 12, two humpback whales were beached in Atlantic City on January 23 and 7. A humpback whale also washed ashore in Amagansett, New York on Dec. 6, followed by a female sperm. whale at Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York, on December 12.

A 12ft baby sperm whale was found here in Keansburg on December 5 and a juvenile humpback whale on Strathmere Beach five days later.

Previously released data from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center showed 12 whales stranded in the Garden State in 2019 and 2020. Since 2002, the center says the state has averaged 7 dead whales each year. Five have been beached in New Jersey since December 5, as well as two in New York.

Offshore wind turbines have been in the works for years in and around New Jersey, but none have started construction.

Tuesday’s organizers included nonprofit members of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, the New Jerseys Sierra Club Chapter and the New Jersey Organizing Project.

Sharon Quilter holds a sign in Atlantic City as activists speak out against a pause in offshore wind projects in New Jersey despite a recent spate of whale deaths. January 17, 2023.

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Steven Rodas can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @stevenrodasnj.

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