MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A dead dolphin washed ashore Wednesday at the Leonardo marina, according to Middletown Mayor Tony Perry.
The dolphin was dead when it washed ashore. Middletown Twp. Post an alert to the public warning them to avoid the area, so children don’t see the dolphin. The state will come and remove the dolphin, he said.
This winter has seen an unusual increase in dead whales and dolphins in New Jersey:
Since December 5, 16 dead whales and dolphins have washed ashore in New Jersey and Long Island, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said was an “unusually” high number of fatal marine mammals. beaching this year, and recently. year.
In the past month, five dead dolphins have washed ashore in or near Middletown. They are:
On Feb. 22, a dead dolphin washed up on the banks of the Shrewsbury River. More struggling dolphins were seen in the water by eyewitnesses, but they did not wash ashore.
A few days before that, on Feb. 18, three dying dolphins washed ashore on the bayside of Sandy Hook national park and died in the surf. Their carcasses have been sent to a state lab and their ears in particular will be examined by an outside lab for any signs of injury, said the director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
Some speculate that the sonar used to map the ocean floor for wind turbines could damage the auditory canals and ears of mammals. But so far no direct link has been found.
Cindy Zipf, director of Clean Ocean Action and a resident of the Jersey Shore, is calling for a halt to wind turbine construction. He testified Wednesday at a hearing on turbines and whale deaths held in Wildwood, organized by Republican South Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew and Middletown Congressman Chris Smith.
To him testimony today, he quoted the National Marine Fisheries Service as saying: “Offshore wind is a new use of our marine waters, requiring significant scientific and regulatory review.”
“So, where’s the substantial review?” he asked.
Seismic airgun surveys are not used for offshore wind energy. Seismic airgun blasting uses high-energy sound pulses aimed at penetrating deep (thousands of meters) into the seafloor to map out deep geological features, such as oil and gas deposits.
Instead, the offshore wind industry typically uses High Resolution Geophysical (HRG) surveys, according to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). HRG surveys are less energy intensive than seismic airguns, the federal government said in February.