Whale washes up on Atlantic City seaside.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – As the stench of a useless whale hung in the air, environmentalists and opponents of offshore wind stood on a seaside the place the marine mammal lay buried Monday and known as for a federal probe right into a spate of whale deaths in New Jersey and New York.
Groups from the 2 states wrote President Joe Biden requesting a probe of the deaths of six whales that washed ashore during the last 33 days in areas being ready for large-scale offshore wind farms. They are also asking for a halt to website work till the causes are decided.
Cindy Zipf, government director of New Jersey-based Clean Ocean Action, known as the speed of whale deaths in the 2 states unprecedented.
“Is it an omen?” she requested. “Is it an alarm? Never before have we had six whales wash up in 33 days.”
She stated survey boats discover the ocean ground utilizing targeted pulses of low-frequency sound in the identical frequency that whales hear and talk, which might probably hurt or disorient the animals.
The news convention was held on the seaside in Atlantic City atop the buried carcass of a whale that washed ashore over the weekend in entrance of the Boardwalk enviornment that used to accommodate the Miss America competitors. The stench from the decaying animal remained highly effective, even via a heavy layer of sand.
A distinguished marine mammal stranding knowledgeable stated that whereas the trigger of the deaths is unknown, it might be a easy operate of a larger-than-normal quantity of whales in the realm this winter, with the quantity of deaths rising proportionately.
And a federal company, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stated that so far, no humpback whale — the species accounting for many of the latest whale deaths in New Jersey and New York — has been discovered to have been killed on account of offshore wind actions.
New Jersey is striving to be the East Coast chief in the burgeoning offshore wind power. The state has permitted three offshore wind farms and is soliciting extra throughout the first quarter of this yr. Additional initiatives are deliberate off the New York coast.
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Orsted, the Danish wind power developer that may construct two of these three permitted initiatives, stated its present work off the New Jersey coast doesn’t contain utilizing sounds or different actions that might disturb whales.
“As the world’s most sustainable energy company, we prioritize coexistence with our communities and marine wildlife,” stated Maddy Urbish, the corporate’s head of authorities affairs for New Jersey. “When offshore, we combine human surveillance and state-of-the-art technical equipment to avoid any impact on marine wildlife as we build projects to advance New Jersey’s clean energy ambitions.
The groups’ demands came after a 30-foot (9-meter) humpback whale washed ashore Saturday in Atlantic City. Another young humpback whale washed up a few blocks away on Dec. 23, and a third 30-foot-long (9-meter) humpback was found on a beach in Strathmere, New Jersey on Dec. 10.
An infant sperm whale, 12 feet (3.6 meters) long, was found dead on the beach in Keansburg, New Jersey on Dec. 5; a 31-foot-long (9.4 meters) humpback was found dead on Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett, New York on Dec. 6; and a 30-foot (9-meter) sperm whale was found on New York’s Rockaway Beach on Dec. 12.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, located just north of Atlantic City in Brigantine, responded to the city’s two recent whale deaths. Sheila Dean, the center’s director, said it is not yet known what caused the deaths, pending post-mortem tests. But she noted that many variables could be in play, including underwater sonar use by the military, the prevalence of plastic pollution in the ocean, and the ever-present danger of collisions with ships.
She also said there is a larger-than-normal number of whales in the region right now because their food sources are still in the area. That could simply mean that with a larger total population, a corresponding number of deaths could be taking place, she hypothesized.
NOAA said it has been studying what it calls “uncommon mortality occasions” involving 174 humpback whales along the entire U.S. East Coast since January 2016. Agency spokesperson Lauren Gaches said that period pre-dates offshore wind preparation activities in the region.
About 40% showed evidence of having been struck by a ship or having become entangled in ropes, lines or fishing gear, she added.
Gaches said the agency has not authorized any “incidental” harm to marine mammals due to offshore wind activities that includes injuring or killing the animals, adding “so far, no humpback whale mortality has been attributed to offshore wind actions.”
At Monday’s news convention, the teams stated offshore wind builders have utilized for authorization to harass, hurt and even kill as many as 157,000 marine mammals off the 2 states.