February 23, 2023 — In the latest jabs in the public debate over recent whale deaths along the Atlantic Coast, an independent government agency tasked by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act to protect marine mammals, said Tuesday that offshore wind activities aren’t responsible for the recent spate of whale deaths here and elsewhere on the East Coast.
Eight whales have washed ashore dead in New Jersey since Dec. 1, while 23 have been spotted up and down the Atlantic Coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Marine Mammal Commission said the deaths are part of the Humpback Whale Unusual Mortality Event (UME) declared by the National Marine Fisheries Service that began in 2016.
“Although these strandings have generated media interest and public scrutiny, humpback whale strandings are not new nor are they unique to the U.S. Atlantic coast. In fact, ten or more humpback whales have stranded each year during the UME, with a high of 34 in 2017,” the commission said.