A dead humpback whale that washed ashore on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, was found to have suffered multiple blunt force injuries, according to a necropsy performed by the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. The nearly 25-foot juvenile male whale had a fractured skull and vertebrae, dislocated ribs, and a dislocated shoulder bone.
Sheila Dean, the center’s director, reported the whale’s injuries on Facebook, stating that they were consistent with blunt force trauma. However, she did not attribute the injuries to any specific cause, as extensive testing is still ongoing, with tissue samples being sent to labs across the country.
The cause of the whale’s death has become a topic of intense interest due to the ongoing controversy surrounding offshore wind power projects. Opponents of these projects believe that site preparation work along the U.S. East Coast is harming or killing whales. However, numerous scientific agencies, including NOAA, the Marine Mammal Commission, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, have stated that there is no evidence linking offshore wind preparation to whale deaths.
This is New Jersey’s first reported whale death of the year, following 14 in 2023. Leading Light Wind, one of three proposed wind farms off the New Jersey coast, issued a statement warning against misinformation campaigns and noted that many previous whale deaths have been attributed to vessel strikes or entanglement with fishing gear.
Protect Our Coast NJ, a staunchly anti-offshore wind group, expressed skepticism about official statements on the whale deaths, comparing it to the distrust some had regarding official information about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leading Light Wind stated that minimizing impacts on the marine environment is of the utmost importance and that they are investing in monitoring and mitigation initiatives to ensure the offshore wind industry can thrive alongside a healthy marine environment.
The post-mortem examination also revealed evidence of past entanglement with fishing gear, although none was present when the whale washed ashore. Scars from a previous entanglement were found on various parts of the whale’s body, including the peduncle, tail, and right front pectoral flipper
The Associated Press contributed to this article.