Whales and Dolphins Continue to Wash Up on the Jersey Coastline

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Seaside Park NJ, Stranding Network members from The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, New York Marine Rescue Center, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources completed a necropsy today, 3/3/2023 in Seaside Park, NJ, to determine the cause of death of the 30ft humpback whale that was first seen on March 1. Although the animal was fairly decomposed, teams were able to determine that she was a female, in good body condition, and document several internal and external injuries. These include 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. The necropsy team obtained samples from the wound sites, as well as other parts of the whale, that will be sent out for further testing to determine if the injuries were sustained pre or post mortem. Full results may not be available for many weeks. Following the necropsy, the whale was buried on the beach. The Seaside Park Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works, NJ State Park Police, Ocean County Sheriff’s Officials, Seaside Heights Officials, NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement and Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office Staff, NJ Department of Environmental Projection, and Monmouth County Department of Public Works were all on scene or assisting with the response. We are thankful for the tireless efforts of our stranding network and local partners, and their dedication towards these animals.

Meanwhile, a woman was walking her dog on a beach in Cape May County when she stumbled across an unfortunate discovery. She found a beached dolphin, which officials say is an 8-foot-long bottlenose dolphin, at 50th Street in Avalon on Monday. At Sandy Hook, dolphins have been washing ashore and at last count locals are pointing to 7 dead and counting in Highlands , and eight dead dolphins in the Bay.

New Jersey Senate Democrats blocked an effort by Senator Joe Pennacchio to enact a 30-day moratorium on wind farm survey work to determine if there’s a link to a sudden surge in whale deaths along the Jersey Shore.Some environmental groups, including Clean Ocean Action, have suggested that the surveys of the ocean floor that are being conducted for offshore wind farm development, which can include sonar mapping, drilling, and seismic testing, may disrupt the ability of whales to navigate safely, possibly leading to the spike of deadly groundings and vessel strikes since December.

“As many of our colleagues have pointed out, the only significant change in our waters recently has been the start of survey work related to the wind farms that will be built just miles off our beaches – the same beaches where whales are now washing up dead,” Pennacchio added. “Surprisingly, some people who call themselves environmentalists seem completely unwilling to consider the possibility that the survey work is linked to the sudden spike in whale deaths, and they adamantly oppose any effort to investigate out of fear it will impact the development of the wind farms. If the surveys were related to any other kind of development, you can be 100% certain that the work would have been halted already for an investigation.“

Most of New Jersey’s “environmental groups” caved to big money interests and Governor Murphy including sadly the Sierra Club except for Whale Stranding-Save LBI saying: “In the past two months, there have been seven whales, all endangered species, washed-up in the New Jersey and New York coastal region. A broad coalition of environmental organizations agree it’s important to discover why we’re seeing increased whale mortalities in New Jersey and surrounding areas; however, they believe that correlating it to wind turbine site exploration is unfounded and premature. The coalition encourages more research into the potential impacts of these turbines and their construction on wildlife but don’t believe plans for future production should be halted unless a direct correlation is uncovered and proven.”

We all know if there were oil rigs off the coast these very same so called “environmental groups” would be screaming.

All whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes touching, feeding, or otherwise harming these animals illegal. The best way to assist these animals, and keep them and yourself safe, is by calling trained responders and maintaining a 150-foot distance. Call the Marine Mammal Stranding Center Hotline at (609) 266-0538 to immediately report any sick, injured, or deceased marine mammals and sea turtles in New Jersey. To report strandings of marine mammals and sea turtles in all other states in the northeast, call NOAA’s stranding hotline to be directed to a trained responder in your area: (866) 755-6622.