Since February 29, 2024, 10 whales have washed up on eastern seaboard shores. Two humpbacks in Virginia on 3/4, a Fin Whale in Rhode Island 2/29, a North Atlantic Right Whale, Juno’s calf 3/3. The calf was found dead on a beach in Georgia, a Minke Whale in North Carolina on 3/5, a Sperm Whale calf in Nags Head on 3/8, And on 3/8, another, to be identified south of Nags Head on Pea Island.
Plus, a Rosso in RI (not a whale but the largest member of the Dolphin family) on March 1, A 50 feet long and 50,000-70,000 pounds whale is stranded off the coast of Venice, March 10, the second Risso’s dolphin in the last ten days, on March 10. There is a barely alive whale directly across from The Tropicana Casino Hotel in Atlantic City that they are trying to help (March 11).
Where are the bullhorns with folks demanding justice for the whales? (See the list at the end for other reporting in 2023.) This is an unprecedented number of dead whales, and they seem to be multiplying as the construction of offshore wind farms increases while in Maine, a dead Right Whale washed ashore in February 2024. Its death was caused by a fishing net that received national attention and renewed an ongoing fight between Maine fishermen and whale advocates!
I first heard about the uptick in whales washing up from, of all places, a NJ comedians podcast. But this podcast was different. It wasn’t funny. Originally from New Jersey, Jim Breuer became aware, as most people who live along the NJ coast, that there’s an increase of marine mammals washing up dead!
NOAA only reports Humpback and Minke whales and has not posted any data for last year, and the data is not thorough. It does not go back long enough to accurately determine when and why so many have shown up dead in the water and shores in the past couple of years. Once an infrequent event, it has turned into a near-daily event.
I can’t finish this article before another is reported, and these are just the ones we know about.
Eighty-five washed up last year (data collected from local newspapers).
I’m always wary when Google queries say, “Offshore wind has NOTHING to do with whale deaths!” When you ask Google,” It says the ocean warming is causing them to come closer to shore for food!? This causes ships’ propellers to kill them, but the recent deaths are not from propeller strikes or fish nets! They wash up dead or nearly dead with no apparent disease or injury.
What does the necropsies tell us? We may never know.
Orsted (a Danish Offshore Wind conglomerate) and Eversource (Buyer of the electricity 52% owned by Blackrock) gave $1.25 million last year to Mystic Aquarium. Mystic Aquarium does the necropsies on the whales, including the ones just washed up in RI. Would they release any information that might link strandings to Orsted and other offshore wind developers?
Plus, the Risso found dead in RI was brought to the town dump for a supposed necropsy on March 1!
Hold my beer….
Part 1 of 4
