Federal agencies that track whale populations and the threats to them have reached a conclusion, noting that the increase in whale deaths predates offshore wind leasing and is attributable to other causes, such as collisions with ships. Here's more.
Have whale deaths suddenly spiked after offshore wind leasing?No. The increase in whale deaths along the U.S. Atlantic coast began more than five years before offshore wind leasingSince 2016, according to NOAA, humpback, minke and right whales have been experiencing an “unusual mortality event.” In that time, 335 dead whales of those three species have washed up on the east coast. Ten or more humpback whales have been stranded on beaches each year since then, with a high of 34 in 2017.
“We do not have evidence that would support the connection between the [wind] survey work and these recent stranding events or any stranding events in the last several years,” said Ben Laws, deputy chief of the permits and conservation division of the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources.and the deaths of whales on the East Coast," Greenpeace oceans director John Hocevar told USA Today.Officials examine a dead beached whale on Rockaway beach, Dec. 13, 2022.
NOAA Fisheries says it has performed necropsy examinations on “roughly half” of the 178 humpback whales that have died on the east coast since 2016. “Of the whales examined, about 40% had evidence of human interaction, either ship strike or entanglement,” said Sarah Wilkin, coordinator of Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response.
“Human-caused mortality and serious injury, particularly entanglements and vessel strikes, is the greatest threat to recovery of North Atlantic Right Whales,” the Marine Mammal Commission has stated.People look at a dead, 35-foot humpback whale, in Lido Beach, N.Y., Jan. 31.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Roger Goodell, Muriel Bowser discussed future of RFK site in December callWith the potential sale of the Commanders, the team’s stadium search is stuck in limbo. A three-jurisdiction race may become a real possibility. The NFL commissioner and D.C. mayor spoke, and Goodell pledged support for the RFK Stadium land.
Read more »
Twitter’s Revenue, Adjusted Earnings Fell About 40% in Month of DecemberTwitter’s revenue and adjusted earnings fell about 40% in December. Many advertisers ditched the company after Musk’s takeover.
Read more »
Twitter's revenue, adjusted earnings drop about 40% in December - WSJTwitter Inc reported a drop of about 40% year-over-year in both revenue and adjusted earnings for the month of December, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday citing people familiar with the matter.
Read more »
Applications for jobless claims fall for 3rd straight weekThe number of people applying for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell for third straight week. That's good news for American workers, but potentially bad news in the fight against inflation by the Federal Reserve, which has been ratcheting up its benchmark interest rate for a year in an effort to cool the economy, loosen the labor market and tame inflation.
Read more »
Putin claims 'terrorist attack' near Ukrainian border; Kyiv deniesRussia has accused Ukrainian saboteurs of crossing its border and staging a “terrorist attack” on local villages, a claim denied by officials in Kyiv who say it was a false “provocation” that could be used by Moscow to escalate the conflict.
Read more »
Applications for jobless claims fall for 3rd straight weekIt’s good news for American workers but potentially bad news in the fight against inflation.
Read more »