Monmouth Co. Officials Call For Marine Animal Deaths Investigation

LONG BRANCH, NJ - The Monmouth County Board of Commissioners is set to hold a news conference Wednesday in Long Branch to call for an investigation into a string of marine animal deaths along the Jersey shore.

The conference is scheduled at 11 a.m. at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park (221 Ocean Ave).

Commissioner Director Tom Arnone is slated to discuss the critical role of state and federal agencies in sharing findings into the deaths of marine animals in New Jersey to protect “the environment, tourism industry and marine life,” the commissioners said in a statement ahead of the conference.

Congressman Chris Smith and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger have also been tapped to attend.

The conference will be livestreamed on Monmouth County Government social media, including YouTube and Facebook.

In New Jersey, 11 whales have washed ashore since Dec. 5, 2022 according to the NJ-based Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which investigates and tracks the deaths of these animals. Most of the whales have been humpbacks. 30 whale deaths have been recorded on the Atlantic Coast since Dec. 1, according to NOAA. The administration has been tracking the deaths of whales for years, with a focus on an "unusual mortality event" among humpback whales since 2016.

A popular theory is that sonar surveying from offshore wind companies is causing the deaths of whales and dolphins, though multiple experts say no substantial evidence for this exists in the recent death investigations. Related article: Van Drew Asks Congress To Halt Offshore Wind At Jersey Shore

Last month, The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection confirmed to Patch that, while it is monitoring whale deaths along the state's coastline, it is "aware of no credible evidence" that offshore wind-related work is causing the deaths.

"As of March 2023, no offshore wind-related construction activities have taken place in waters off the New Jersey coast," the DEP said, "and DEP is aware of no credible evidence that offshore wind-related survey activities could cause whale mortality."

The DEP says $8.5 million has been authorized for "scientific efforts to ensure the safe and ecologically responsible development of offshore wind energy," and another $26 million committed by companies as part of the second wind energy solicitation, to be spent on regional research and ecological monitoring.

While preliminary necropsy results have shown several of the whales — including the Seaside Park whale, a female humpback — had injuries consistent with having been hit by ships, the number of whale deaths in a short period of time has had various organizations pointing to offshore wind activities, which have faced significant opposition from their inception off New Jersey's coast. Read more: Seaside Park Humpback Whale's Death Under Investigation

DEP officials said they are concerned that rising ocean temperatures are playing a role in the whales' deaths, which have been tracked as an "unusual mortality event" by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since 2016.

-With reporting by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson and Karen Wall.