No Evidence Offshore Wind Development Killing Whales

Q: Is the development of offshore wind energy farms in the U.S. killing whales?

A: Whales have been dying at an unusual rate along the Atlantic Coast since 2016, often from ship strikes or entanglements with fishing gear. Federal agencies and experts say there is no link to offshore wind activities, although they continue to study the potential risks.

FULL QUESTION

I’m fairly skeptical the ocean wind farms can cause whale deaths. What is the truth?

FULL ANSWER

Between December 2022 and March 31, 30 large whales have been stranded and died on or near the shores of the East Coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Twenty-seven have been baleen whales, a type of whale that has baleen plates instead of teeth, including 21 humpbacks that have washed ashore between New York and North Carolina.

Scientists suspect a variety of factors are behind the whale deaths, which appear to be a continuation of a years-long period of unusually high mortality for marine animals. Contrary to claims made by critics of wind energy, there is no indication that the strandings have anything to do with seafloor surveys being done in preparation for the installation of wind turbines.

The acoustic sources being used in these surveys are either completely out of the hearing range of baleen whales or only capable of slightly disturbing their behavior, an expert told us. Regulations also require operators to make sure there are no whales nearby when conducting a survey.

“There’s basically zero chance that those surveys have caused any mortality,” , the chair of marine