Spike in Whale and Dolphin Deaths Prompts Calls for Investigation Into Impact of Offshore Wind Projects on Marine Life

A sudden spike in whale and dolphin deaths along the East Coast has pitted local citizens and conservation groups against the Biden administration, Big Energy and “Big Green” environmental organizations and ignited a fierce debate about the effects of offshore wind development on wildlife and ocean ecosystems.

And according to reports, New Jersey’s Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) tracked 23 stranded dolphins along the state’s coast since January, including an unprecedented “mass stranding” of eight dolphins in Sea Isle City on Tuesday — the first “mass stranding” of such a large number of dolphins in New Jersey, the MMSC said.

Since early December, 13 dead whales have washed up on the New Jersey-New York shoreline, and 11 more have washed up elsewhere along the East Coast.

The deaths of whales and dolphins coincide with pre-construction work being conducted on numerous offshore wind projects in the area.