By Sia Satish, Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter Youth Commmittee
The NJDEP released a statement on March 15, 2023, regarding the unusual rise in whale mortalities off the East Coast. Recently, concerns have been raised that the new offshore wind energy surveys occurring off New Jersey’s coasts are the cause of humpback and sperm whale strandings. These claims have supported pre-existing opposition to offshore wind energy initiatives.
Offshore wind power is energy from winds out in the sea that is transformed into electricity on land. It is a renewable source of energy with zero greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, the turbines’ distance from land diminishes noise pollution, the industry could support tens of thousands of jobs, and offshore wind may also reduce electricity bills due to its cost-efficiency. Given these benefits, NJ Governor Phil Murphy announced a goal of producing 11 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2040, which could power 3.2 million homes. The NJ Board of Public Utilities has already approved the development of 3 wind farms off the coast of South Jersey and are looking to fund more wind projects. However, opposers argue that ocean floor surveying (which is necessary for offshore wind farm development) is harmful to whales and marine life. Many Republican members of Congress protest the construction by stating that renewable energy will increase taxes as well as by linking offshore wind construction to the recent rise in whale strandings.
Since December 1, 2022, 25 whales have been stranded on the East Coast, with necropsies revealing that 8 whale deaths were caused by vessel strikes. Since 2016, there have been around 183 whale strandings, with most occurring near Massachusetts and New York. The Marine Mammal Commission has declared the recent whale deaths to be part of the Humpback Whale Unusual Mortality Event (UME), which originated in 2016. A Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) website dedicated to information about the UME recognizes that there has been an increase in menhaden (common prey for whales) along the East Coast due to warming waters, and the abundance of food may have attracted the large whale population towards land and closer to threatening human activities.
The DEP statement, which was released this month in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Board of Public Utilities (BPU), and the Marine Mammal Commission, said that offshore wind survey activities have been approved and considered safe for marine life. However, due to the concerns raised in January, offshore wind construction was halted at the start of the month. To date, the DEP has found no evidence of a link between the projects and mortalities, but it will continue monitoring for more information. The statement then details the negative impacts of rising ocean temperatures caused by the fossil fuel industry and also mentions the changes in migration patterns of menhaden due to water chemistry and oceanic temperature variations. New Jersey’s Coastal Management Program regulates infrastructure activities in state waters and expects all developments to minimize environmental impacts and act responsibly. Furthermore, the Offshore Wind Research & Monitoring Initiative has granted $8.5 million towards ensuring that offshore wind energy projects are environmentally safe. Lastly, initiatives by the BPU have funded $26 million for research on the ecological impacts of offshore wind. The full statement can be viewed here: News Release 23/P021 | NJDEP Statement on East Coast Whale Mortalities.
According to the DEP’s UME website, the NOAA has formed a scientific team to collect and analyze data on offshore wind projects. The BOEM has created strict measures on offshore wind energy surveys as well as Acoustic Exclusion Zones, which are areas free of marine wildlife when oceanic surveys are conducted. These High-Resolution Geophysical (HRG) surveys utilize active sound sources to create images of the seafloor, but the acoustics have much lower energy compared to seismic airguns, which are known to harm whales. BOEM scientists have also researched HRG survey characteristics that prove them to be unlikely as a cause of marine mammal harassment.
Research by reputable NJ environmental organizations, which was summarized in the DEP statement, supports the continuation of offshore wind energy projects and argues that there isn’t a connection to the tragic whale strandings. In fact, this advantageous renewable energy source could prevent the worst effects of climate change, which may be a likely cause for the dangerous abundance of whales near the East Coast. As of now, the United Kingdom and Germany are spearheading offshore wind energy production. The future of this energy source lies in new technology such as floating turbines, wind farm expansion, and underwater cables to transfer energy. Through continued research and offshore wind farm development, New Jersey could reach Governor Murphy's offshore wind objective by 2040 and lead the switch to renewable energy.