Dead Dolphin Washes Ashore In Middletown; 6th In Past Month

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A dead dolphin washed up on the beach earlier Wednesday at the Leonardo marina, according to Middletown Mayor Tony Perry.

The dolphin was already dead when it washed ashore. Middletown Twp. put out an alert to the public warning them to avoid the area, so children would not see the dolphin. The state will come and remove the dolphin, he said.

This winter has seen an unusual increase in dead whales and dolphins in New Jersey:

Since Dec. 5, 16 dead whales and dolphins have washed ashore in New Jersey and Long Island, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said is an "unusually" high number of fatal marine mammal beachings this year, and in recent years.

In the past month, six dead dolphins have washed ashore in or near Middletown, and one in South Jersey. They are:

On Feb. 27, a dead dolphin washed ashore in Avalon.

On Feb. 22, a dead dolphin washed up on the banks of the Shrewsbury River at Hartshorne Woods. More struggling dolphins were seen in the water by eyewitnesses, but they did not wash ashore.

A few days before that, on Feb. 18, three dying dolphins washed ashore on the bayside of Sandy Hook national park and died in the surf. Their carcasses were sent to a state lab and their ears in particular will be examined by an outside lab for any signs of damage, said the director of Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

Some speculate that sonar used to map the ocean floor for wind turbines could to be damaging the mammals' hearing and ear canals. But so far no direct link has been found.

Cindy Zipf, director of Clean Ocean Action and who lives on the Jersey Shore, is calling for a stop to wind turbine construction. She will testify Thursday in a hearing on the turbines and whale deaths held in Wildwood, organized by Republican South Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew and Middletown Congressman Chris Smith.

In her testimony, she quoted the National Marine Fisheries Service as saying: “Offshore wind is a new use of our marine waters, requiring substantial scientific and regulatory review.”

“So, where is the substantial review?” she asked.

Seismic airgun surveys are not used for offshore wind energy. Seismic airgun blasting uses high-energy sound pulses aimed at penetrating deep (thousands of meters) into the seafloor to map out deep geological features, such as oil and gas deposits.

Instead, the offshore wind industry typically uses High Resolution Geophysical (HRG) surveys, according to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). HRG surveys are much lower in energy than seismic airguns, said the federal government in February.

BOEM said that "makes them unlikely to result in incidental take of marine mammals." Learn more here: https://www.boem.gov/environme...

"BOEM and the NOAA Fisheries have assessed the potential effects of HRG surveys associated with offshore wind development in the Atlantic. Following a rigorous assessment, NOAA Fisheries and BOEM have concluded that these types of surveys are not likely to injure whales or other endangered species. BOEM requires developers to use protective measures, such as trained Protected Species Observers, to avoid whales during these survey activities."

4th Dolphin Dies In 1 Week Near Sandy Hook, Ears Will Be Tested By Lab (Feb. 27)

How many dead whales have washed ashore along the New Jersey, New York coasts in 2023?A list. ABC News, March 6