There is a lot of misinformation circulating around the internet concerning the cause of death to marine mammals, and the windmill projects.
Following are some common misconceptions that are being spread.
- Misconception 1: The SONAR used for the survey work could injure whales.
Gotham Whale bases all opinions on science. To date, there have been no published scientific studies that show that baleen whales become injured by the sonar equipment used by survey vessels. Survey work is conducted off NY and NJ constantly for many different industries (not just offshore wind). We have never seen the unprecedented increase in strandings as we have this winter. It is known that some types of sonar will cause minor changes in behavior such as stopping feeding and traveling out of the area. Therefore, the permitting process for any survey work requires independent observers onboard, and survey companies MUST shut down the sonar when there are whales around. This is required in their permitting, and if they don’t do this, they are subject to significant fines for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act. One would expect that these companies would want to strictly follow the rules, since they are now currently in the public eye, in light of the recent increase in strandings.
- Misconception 2: The SONAR could interfere with the whale’s echolocation, disrupt the navigation abilities of the whales and make them prone to ship strike.
The majority of whales recently washed ashore are baleen whales that DO NOT USE echolocation for navigation or communication. It is only toothed whales that have this capacity. Again, similar to above, there have been no published scientific studies that show that the type of sonar being used by survey vessels around the world could affect baleen whales’ navigation ability.
Gotham Whale has contacted OSW representatives directly and asked for assurance that their operations are not harmful to the whales. Asked, “How can we be sure you are conducting these activities safely for the whales?” The answer was, “Because it is the LAW.”
Remember, the permitting process is a rigorous proposal that the developers must outline their methods and practices for review by stakeholders. There is public review and comment periods to ensure concerns are met.
If they violate the conditions of the permit, they are subject to fines and penalties under the Law. Gotham Whale accepts that the operators are complying with their permits, unless we are given evidence otherwise.
- Misconception 3: Whales would be able to avoid vessels if they were not disoriented by SONAR. Dolphins play in bow wake and are therefore safe from vessel collision.
Research indicates that
speed is a major factor in the likelihood and severity of ship strike. While size is a factor, even small vessels and jet skis can cause injury or mortality for wildlife. Additionally, approaching ships may be difficult for a whale to detect because the sound of a large vessel’s engine can be blocked by the hull. This is called the “bow null effect”.
Dolphins are often observed surfing in the wake from a vessel’s bow. This does not mean they are never hit by vessels.
NOAA’s viewing marine life guidelines specifically warn against intentionally trying to to initiate bow riding. If marine mammals do initiate, it’s important to avoid sudden changes in speed or direction
- Misconception 4: Offshore wind companies are currently allowed to “take” and therefore kill marine mammals.
A “take” does not have to mean kill. NOAA also defines any type of behavioral change as a “take.” This means that if a whale is in the area and it decides to stop feeding and come over to check out your boat, that would be considered as a “take.” Therefore, conducting ANY type of construction or research activity that could cause whales to change their behavior requires a “take” authorization. There is a type of “take” authorization that does include potential serious injury or mortality to whales, but to date these have NOT been issued to any company for offshore wind surveys. This means that if their activities do cause any serious injury or mortality, they are subject to fines and other consequences. The type of “take” MUST be specified in the permit application. The active permit applications for current surveys are publicly available and clearly state that the authorizations requested are non-lethal. Additionally, in these permit applications, you will also see the extensive mitigation measures that are required of any company conducting surveys, including a complete stop to any survey activities when there are whales in the area.
- Misconception 5: Offshore wind companies are “paying” off scientists and other organizations.
Offshore wind companies are REQUIRED by the government to contribute money to marine mammal, bird, bat, fish, etc. research to monitor and mitigate the impacts from offshore wind. It is not necessarily because they want to. It is because they have no choice. Gotham Whale feels that these companies absolutely should be funding research activities, since they will ultimately be affecting the marine environment in some way. The offshore wind industry has millions of dollars to spend, so it should be put to good use.
It is not my intent to show support or otherwise for the windmills, but rather to bring some intelligent reasoning to the subject by way of science.
You can visit gothamwhale.org for additional information.
Gotham Whale
