Calls To Halt Offshore Wind Continue In Atlantic, Cape May Counties

SOUTH JERSEY — In the wake of another dead whale washing up at the Jersey Shore, officials in Cape May and Atlantic counties are renewing calls to put a halt to offshore wind activities out of concern that the two may be connected.

Second Legislative District Sen. Vince Polistina sent a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy Thursday calling for a 30-day moratorium on all offshore wind activity for an independent investigation to be done.

"The number of whale deaths along the coast of New Jersey and the entire East Coast is completely unprecedented from anything we have ever seen in our lifetimes," Polistina wrote in the letter. "With the primary difference off our shores being the sonar and drilling related to offshore wind studies, it seems completely irresponsible to blindly continue the work without definitive reasons why so many whales are meeting a tragic end."

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, in a release before the latest whale washed up, also asked for an immediate stop.

"We must investigate these deaths and get to the bottom if offshore wind activity is the cause; all offshore wind activity must end immediately until proper examinations and investigations are conducted," Van Drew said.

As sonar mapping is ongoing at the shore, some officials and conservation groups have voiced concerns that this is what is causing the whales to die.

"When has there ever been this many industrial activities permitted in the region at the same time?" Cindy Zipf of conservation group Clean Ocean Action previously said. "Where is the evidence that these deaths are not related to the intense offshore wind sonar and other geotechnical activities?"

The equipment used in these activities is much smaller and quieter than those used in the oil and gas industry, Erica Staaterman, a bioacoustician with the Bureau of Ocean Management, said in a January call with reporters. The offshore wind equipment is less intrusive, she said.

No evidence is available to prove that the whale deaths and offshore wind activity are not related. But there is also no evidence that says that they are, according to officials.

"At this point, there is no evidence to support speculation that noise resulting from wind development-related site characterization surveys could potentially cause mortality of whales," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials said.

NOAA has been tracking an increase in whale deaths (called an "unusual mortality event," or UME) since 2016 - pre-dating offshore wind development.

There has been evidence that some of the whales were struck by vessels before death, officials have said.

Since 2016, 25 deceased whales have washed up in New Jersey, according to NOAA data.

Read more:

Dead Female Whale Removed From Manasquan Beach, Necropsy Is Next

Ocean City Officials Call For Halt To Offshore Wind Development

Is Offshore Wind To Blame For NJ Whale Deaths? Officials Investigating