A dead whale was found on a New Jersey beach Monday — the ninth one to wash ashore in the New York-New Jersey area since early December in what activists are calling an alarming uptick.
The massive marine mammal ended up on Whiting Avenue beach in Manasquan after it was tossed around in the surf, according to Point Pleasant Mayor Paul Kanitra.
Clean Ocean Action, an environmental conservation organization, said that the high number of whale deaths in a roughly two-month period has not been seen in the region in about 50 years.
The group said it believes off-shore wind energy projects could be the culprit of the rising fatalities.
“This alarming number of deaths is unprecedented in the last half century, the only unique factor from previous years, is the excessive scope, scale, and magnitude of offshore wind powerplant activity in the region,” COA said in a statement.
Scientists with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have found no evidence that the wind energy projects and whale deaths are related.
“And to date, no whale mortality has been attributed to offshore wind activities,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries public affairs director Lauren Gaches told reporters on Jan. 18.
Two weeks ago, a 41-foot-long humpback whale named Luna washed up on a Long Island beach. Federal authorities said the 29,000-pound animal was likely struck and killed by a vessel.
It’s unclear what type of whale washed up in Manasquan, but Kanitra estimated the carcass was the size of a bus.
He also questioned why the carcass sightings were becoming more common.
“Governor, when do these stop becoming coincidences? How many more will it take?” he wrote in a post alongside images of the whale’s body being tossed in the waves.
Off the coast of Virginia, three dead whales — two humpbacks and an endangered North Atlantic right whale were discovered in less than a week, Fox News reported Monday.
The NOAA has declared “an unusual mortality event” for both humpback and Atlantic right whales along the East Coast.
Activists and government officials have called on the Biden administration to suspend all offshore wind projects in light of the recent whale deaths until a thorough investigation rules them out.
A dozen Jersey Shore mayors — including Kanitra — joined together at the end of January to call for a moratorium on all offshore wind activity until federal agencies investigate whether a link exists between the energy generators and the whale fatalities.
The local officials noted specific concern over the use of “acoustic survey vessels” used in the development of at least four offshore wind projects near the Jersey shore.
Their plea was reupped by US Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) who penned letters to the Biden administration for an immediate stoppage of all offshore wind projects.
“Over the course of the past several months, there have been repeated instances of dead whales washing up on New Jersey’s shoreline, and the proximity of nearby offshore wind development has raised concerns that ongoing activity on these projects may be contributing to whale fatalities,” Smith wrote.
