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| Dead humpback whale offshore Photo: Marine Education, Research & Rehabilitation Institute. |
A sixth dead whale in the past 33 days was found on the New York-New Jersey coastline this month. There have been 6 deaths since December.
The cause has not been determined but several environmental groups point to offshore wind turbines. The growing renewable energy alternative has been criticized for its impact on whales and other wildlife during and after construction.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are currently studying this sudden increase in humpback whale deaths but reports that it has been an issue since 2016 across the East Coast. In many cases, it was occurring long before any wind turbines were built.
Partial or full necropsy examinations were conducted on approximately half of the whales reported to NOAA. Of the whales examined, about 40 percent had evidence of human interaction, either ship strike or entanglement.
Besides vessel strikes, it is known that noise - from ships, construction planning, and survey work - threatens whales who can be scared by noise and hit an obstruction. Infant whales can become distressed by noise and stop nursing.
Unlike strandings or situations where live whales appear to beach themselves, these whales (humpback and right whales) appeared dead offshore.
2016–2023 Humpback Whale Unusual Mortality Event Along the Atlantic Coast - NOAA
6 dead whales wash up in a month.- NJ.com
North Atlantic Right whales are one of the world’s most endangered large whale species, with only about 450 animals remaining. NOAA has developed regulations for boaters and fishermen to help protect these whales from injury or death from vessel collisions and entanglement in fishing gear.
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