the staff of the Ridgewood blog
In case you missed it, another whale washed ashore in Atlantic Beach this past weekend. In response, David Shanker, the New Jersey Spokesman for the Save Right Whales Coalition, shared:
“Since sonar blasting for offshore wind turbine developments began in December 2022, 68 dead whales have washed ashore. That’s in just 38 weeks, meaning nearly two whales have been confirmed dead every week. At what point are we going to realize it’s not an ‘Unusual Mortality Event’ it’s much worse—it’s an inconvenient and unplanned speciecide happening as a biproduct of rapid and irresponsible offshore wind turbine development. If the government doesn’t put the brakes on these projects, how long will the 350 remaining critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales (NARW) be able to hold out? Will our children and grandchildren be learning about our current government’s mistakes in in their textbooks in five years or 10?”
David Shanker is the New Jersey spokesperson for Save Right Whales, a multi-state grassroots not-for-profit coalition that protects the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale species and other marine ecosystems against the lethal industrialization of ocean habitats by corporate enterprises.
Having grown up on the New Jersey shore, Shanker’s lifelong enjoyment of ocean recreation and exploration helped foster a deep appreciation for marine life and its biodiversity. Shanker’s various childhood summers and experiences centered around the coast, whether it was lifeguarding, learning how to sail, spending a semester at sea studying humpback whales while in college or becoming Scuba certified at only 16 years old. As an adult, Shanker’s love for the ocean has also translated into volunteer initiatives for several sailing and boating foundations.
Shanker became involved in the group as a layperson in 2022. Professionally he is an executive in the market research industry. He held leadership positions at Kantar, Ipsos and EnsembleIQ before forming David Shanker Consulting in 2019. His consulting practice helps companies improve their business performance by focusing on improving sales processes and go-to-market best practices.
With his unique ability to detect irregular data patterns, Shanker became active with Save Right Whales after observing the increased risks to this endangered species’ following wind turbine construction along the East Coast by international corporate enterprises. In his current role, Shanker educates and raises awareness about the disastrous impacts wind turbine construction is anticipated to have on marine wildlife, commercial fishing, recreational fishing and those who live near the Jersey Shore. He also serves as an advocate for the local shore community, having raised concerns about how the construction will impact tourism in the highly populated New Jersey shore area, effectively disrupting its local economy.
Shanker’s other volunteer work includes serving as a mentor for Women in Research (WIRE), a not-for-profit aiding women in market research to grow professionally and fill the gap between men and women in senior management positions. He was also a Past Commodore of the Brant Beach Yacht Club and the current President of the Brant Beach Sailing Foundation. And for 2 years, he was the volunteer Head Coach of the Summit High School Sailing Team.
Shanker received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island.
He resides in Summit, New Jersey and Long Beach Island, NJ with his family.
Save Right Whales is a grassroots coalition made up of more than 11 environmental and community organizations, scientists, and conservationists working to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale and other marine life from the industrialization of our ocean habitat through large-scale offshore wind energy development across the eastern seaboard. For more information or to get involved, visit: https://saverightwhales.org/.
Charging at Windmills
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