Dead whale found on Lido Beach: 8th to wash up in New Jersey and New York since December

BRIGANTINE — Mayors in 12 shore towns sent a letter to state and federal representatives Monday, calling for a moratorium on offshore wind work, citing the number of whale deaths this winter.

The same day, a large whale was reported washed ashore in New York State, on Lido Beach in Nassau County.

This is the eighth dead whale to wash ashore in the New Jersey and New York area in the last 38 days.

On Jan. 13, a dead humpback whale washed up on the beach in Brigantine.

No cause of death has been determined.

Federal authorities say there is no indication the work underway to map the ocean floor in advance of proposed offshore wind projects contributed to the whale deaths, but many community members and area officials remain unconvinced.

“The unprecedented number of whale strandings coincides with ongoing activity from acoustic survey vessels for the development of offshore wind,” reads the letter, sent to Sens. Bob Menendz and Cory Booker, both Democrats, as well as U.S. Reps. Jeff Van Drew, Frank Pallone and Chris Smith.

Pallone is a Democrat, while Van Drew and Smith are Republicans.

The letter calls for an immediate moratorium on all offshore wind activities until a federal investigation is held by state and federal agencies “that confidently determines these activities are not a contributing factor to recent whale deaths.”

In a conference call with reporters earlier this month, representatives with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the federal agency that oversees wind energy projects, said they were concerned about the whale deaths, but stated there was no reason to connect the deaths to work related to offshore wind.

The shore mayors, representing towns in Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean and Monmouth counties, described this winter’s whale deaths as unprecedented.

“While we are not opposed to clean energy, we are concerned about the impacts these projects may already be having on our environment,” the letter reads. “We urge you to take action now to prevent future deaths from needlessly occurring on our shorelines.”

It was signed by Mayor Patrick Rosenello in North Wildwood, Mayor Vincent Sera of Brigantine, Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour of Stone Harbor, Mayor Samuel Cohen of Deal, Mayor Paul Kanitra of Point Pleasant, Mayor Joseph Mancini of Long Beach Township, Mayor Bill Curtis of Bay Head, Mayor Lance White of Mantoloking, Mayor Don Cabrera of Wildwood Crest, Mayor Jennifer Naughton of Spring Lake, Mayor Michael Becker of Margate and Mayor Darren Matik of Linwood.

Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian has also called for a moratorium, and Ocean City Council last week unanimously called for a moratorium, but Gillian’s name was not on the letter.

The issue has become something of a tug-of-war between organizations, with those on both sides describing themselves as environmentalists.

Earlier this month, a coalition of environmental groups held a press conference on the beach in Atlantic City, with members saying there is no evidence connecting the whale deaths with wind projects. The New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club and others lined up on that side.

On the other side stand several groups critical of wind power projects and Clean Ocean Action, among others, had already been on the Atlantic City beach, calling for a federal investigation and a stop to all offshore wind power work in the ocean.

“NOAA and other self-described environmental groups denounce the lack of evidence about the cause for these recent whale deaths and nevertheless encourage the wind industry and Gov. Murphy to press on with his plan to install 11.5 (gigawatts) of offshore wind projects in New Jersey,” reads a statement about the mayor’s letter, prepared by the Maryland-based firm Warwick Group Consultants LLC, which has represented North Wildwood and Avalon in the past.

Officials with the Murphy administration have described efforts to reduce the impact of global climate change as vitally important for a coastal state like New Jersey, and offshore wind power as key to moving New Jersey toward renewable energy. Murphy has also touted the economic impact of wind power projects.

In a recent interview, representatives of Ocean Wind 1, the wind power project furthest along in the state and federal approval process to put offshore wind turbines in place, said no sound survey work has been done for the project off the coast of New Jersey since the summer.

Some wind power opponents have expressed frustration with that assertion, pointing out that another wind power project farther north, Atlantic Shores, has conducted sound mapping surveys this winter. Those surveys are the ones most often cited as being potentially harmful to whales.

Bob Stern, the president of Save Long Beach Island, cited the noise from those survey projects as a possible cause for the whale deaths, and also called for an investigation on Sunday.

A notice to mariners issued by Atlantic Shores for the week of Jan. 30 shows the vessel Furgo Enterprise will be using sound in survey operations in the lease area, between Sandy Hook and Brigantine, about 46 miles off the coast. That work is set to continue until June 1.

Another vessel, HOS Browning, will also be conducting operations with a marine drill rig within the Atlantic Shores lease area, with work set to continue until March 31.

Terrence Kelly, a spokesman for Atlantic Shores, said the operations have had no incidents involving whales. Asked if the operations could be harmful to marine life, he cited the statements from NOAA.

There had also been a dead humpback whale spotted about 12 miles off the cost of South Jersey. Sheila Dean, the center director, said a Coast Guard projects based on wind and tides indicated the animal remains could wash ashore on Long Beach Island, but she said on Monday that there has been no sign of it.

Volunteers are combing the beaches, she said. Multiple factors can impact whale deaths, she said, citing collisions with boats, entanglement with fishing nets and the ingestion of large amounts of discarded plastic polluting their feeding grounds.

There have been a large number of strandings in a shore period, she said, but added there have been high numbers of whale deaths in other years as well. She also cited an increase in the population of humpback whales, and the number of whales that have been in close to shore.

There were four live whales seen off Belmar on Sunday, she said, with a large concentration of bait fish drawing them in.

“They follow the food,” Dean said. “Where there are more whales, there are more strandings.”