Long Beach Island, NJ – It started with a string of dead whales washing ashore along the New Jersey coastline—and now, a local advocacy group says it has evidence linking those deaths to offshore wind energy development.
Save Long Beach Island, Inc., led by engineer and former federal energy official Dr. Bob Stern, has released a report claiming that offshore wind activities—including seabed surveys, pile driving, and the noise from turbine operation—pose a serious and direct threat to whales, particularly the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
The group is calling into question the long-standing assurances from federal agencies and wind developers that there is “no evidence” connecting offshore wind activity to marine mammal fatalities. In a detailed release, Stern argues that underwater noise from wind-related work is more disruptive than publicly acknowledged and that most whale deaths remain unexplained.
According to Stern, only about 40% of examined whale carcasses show signs of ship strikes or entanglements, meaning the causes of the majority of deaths are unknown. He argues that federal investigations often overlook auditory trauma, a key consequence of noise exposure, which whales rely on for navigation, communication, and feeding.
The Atlantic Shores wind project, which was set to install 357 of the world’s tallest wind turbines less than 9 miles from the Jersey Shore, is among the developments under scrutiny. The group alleges that construction activities like pile driving produce noise levels powerful enough to affect whales up to four miles away, while operational noise may reach up to 12 miles beyond the turbine field.
The report disputes multiple claims made by wind energy proponents and federal agencies, including the assertion that survey vessel noise is harmless and that right whales are no longer migrating near the shore. Stern points to recent data suggesting the species still frequents areas close to planned wind project sites.
While federal environmental models suggest low risk to whales from turbine installation and operation, Save LBI contends that these models rely on questionable assumptions, including disputed whale density estimates and unrealistic predictions of hearing impact zones.
While the future of New Jersey’s offshore wind farms is in jeopardy after a moratorium placed by President Donald J. Trump, public officials such as New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, who is running for governor, both are intent on staying the course when it comes to offshore wind. Both politicians have pledged a 100% clean energy agenda by 2035.
In challenging claims that wind turbines operate quietly, Stern highlights the growing scale of offshore wind infrastructure, noting that each turbine in the Atlantic Shores project is 1,048 feet tall—three times the height of the Statue of Liberty—and significantly louder than earlier models.
The group also draws comparisons between whale strandings linked to seismic air gun testing around the world and the use of similar, though less intense, acoustic technology in wind survey vessels.
As federal and state agencies continue to greenlight wind energy development in the Atlantic, Save LBI argues that key risks to marine life are being ignored, masked by broad assumptions and a lack of thorough post-mortem testing.
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Key Points
- A new report from Save LBI links offshore wind activities to unexplained whale deaths off the New Jersey coast.
- The group claims that noise from surveys, pile driving, and turbine operation causes significant harm to whales.
- The Atlantic Shores project would install 357 large turbines near whale migration paths, raising environmental concerns.
