A dozen dead whales on the Jersey shore leave questions and partisan politics in their wake

On March 2, 2023 a humpback whale washed ashore in Seaside Park. This was the 12^th dead whale found in the waters of NJ and NY since December 5^th. The reason for so many whale strandings along the East Coast is still unclear, but there are several speculations. 

According to NOAA’s website the northern hemisphere ocean temperatures ranked third warmest for January 2023. As ocean temperatures warm, whales migrate and feed closer to shore.

At the same time, consumers are buying more products. On August 2, 2022, a press release from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey stated that, 

“The seaport has been handling a cargo increase of nearly 12 percent year-to-date compared to the same period last year and an astounding rise of 34 percent in cargo volume compared to the same period during pre-pandemic 2019.”

Some feel that the increase in cargo ships combined with the greater number of whales in shipping channels is contributing to the increase in whale deaths.

Another growing argument is that preparations for the installation of offshore wind farms along the eastern shore is the cause. The wind farms that will be installed off the Jersey Shore are a key component in Governor Phil Murphy’s goal for New Jersey to be a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050.

On February 17, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ 4^th District), an opponent to Offshore Wind Farms, introduced legislation “to conduct a study to assess the sufficiency of the environmental review process for offshore wind projects.”

Smith spoke at a rally in Point Pleasant Beach on February 19 to address concerns that offshore wind farms may be causing an increase in whale deaths along the Jersey Shore.

Gathered on the boardwalk right outside Jenkinson’s Aquarium, approximately 1,000 attendees expressed their concerns for the whales while voicing their frustration with the current administration. Members of the crowd chanted “Save our Whales,” “Whales Lives Matter,” and “Murphy Must Go” in between speakers.

Several county and local officials and environmental activists also attended the rally in support of Smith’s legislation.

Paul Kanitro, Mayor of Point Pleasant, began the rally by telling the crowd, “Just a few days ago, I stood on the beach less than a mile from here, and I watched as the ninth whale killed during this fiasco, bobbed in the surf, and eventually came ashore.”

Kanitro was referring to a 35-foot humpback whale that washed up on Whiting Beach in Manasquan on February 13^th.

“Let me say, the true gravity of the situation before us doesn’t really come into focus until you’re next to one of these majestic, intelligent creatures,” Kanitro said.

Trisha DeVoe, MS, a naturalist for Miss Belmar Whale Watching and speaker at the rally, helps to document and identify the whales she encounters along the Jersey Shore. 

DeVoe said their 2022 whale watching season was very successful.

“We had consistent sightings every day and, on many trips, we had multiple whale sightings. They were healthy and active…and then suddenly in December, whales started dying. They started washing up dead on our shores,” DeVoe said.

In 2017, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries declared an Unusual Mortality Event for humpback whale strandings along the Atlantic coast.

According to NOAA’s website, since 2016 “Partial or full necropsy examinations were conducted on approximately half of the whales. Of the whales examined, about 40 percent had evidence of human interaction, either ship strike or entanglement. Vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the greatest human threats to large whales.”

DeVoe isn’t convinced that the increase in whale deaths is due to vessel strikes. 

She explained, “These were primarily healthy, beautiful young whales who avoided vessels all summer long when we have so many boats out there and suddenly, they can’t navigate away from oncoming vessels…It doesn’t make sense.”

Smith also has concerns about the sudden increase in deaths and believes they are linked with the offshore wind farms. 

Smith told the crowd, “The whales are sending us a tragic message that demands transparency and accountability, both of which have been sorely missing from Governor Murphy’s plan to use New Jersey’s coast as the prime location for offshore wind industry.”

Smith’s call for action to save the whales was met with strong opposition from New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy and his administration. 

Above the crowds chants of disapproval for Murphy, Smith continued, “No elected office holder, including President Biden or Governor Murphy, or any bureaucrat should advance such a sweeping, potentially dangerous policy without meaningful input from you, the people, including local officials.”

Smith wants the construction of the wind farms halted immediately. 

In response to concerns that offshore wind farms are linked to whale deaths, NOAA Fisheries website stated that there is no evidence supporting these claims.

On March 3^rd, a necropsy was performed on the whale that washed ashore in Seaside Park. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, New Jersey’s marine mammal and sea turtle resume and rehabilitation center, updated their Facebook page with the initial results.

They were able to determine the 30 ft whale was a female in good body condition. They noted “several internal and external injuries including bruising on the head, sections of fractured skull, and sharp force trauma consistent with propeller wounds on the right lateral side.”

Evidence of previous entanglement scars were also documented. Samples from the whale were sent out for further testing.