Noise from offshore wind development authorized by NOAA linked to alarming number of whale deaths

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Offshore wind projects, often seen as a green energy solution, are linked to rising whale deaths. Noise from these projects disrupts whales’ ability to navigate, communicate and find food, leading to fatal consequences.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) authorizes noise harassment under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) for wind farm construction. This noise drives whales into high-traffic or heavily fished areas, increasing risks of ship strikes and entanglement — the leading causes of whale deaths.

Professor Apostolos Gerasoulis proposes capping harassment authorizations to protect endangered species like the North Atlantic Right Whale, whose population is critically low. Stricter regulations are needed to limit cumulative impacts from multiple offshore wind projects.

Floating wind turbines, with their mooring lines, pose additional entanglement risks and disrupt whale behavior. These lines qualify as harassment under the MMPA and should be heavily restricted or banned.

The deaths of whales highlight the devastating consequences of offshore wind activities. NOAA must revoke permits, conduct cumulative impact analyses and prioritize marine conservation to prevent further loss of these vital species and maintain ocean ecosystem balance.

The ocean, once a sanctuary for marine life, is now a battleground. Whales, the gentle giants of the sea, are dying at alarming rates, and the culprit is closer to home.

Offshore wind development, which is often touted as a green energy solution, is emerging as a deadly threat to these majestic creatures.

New research by Professor Apostolos Gerasoulis reveals a disturbing link between the noise from offshore wind projects and the rising number of whale deaths.

The deadly impact of noise

Whales rely on sound to navigate, communicate and find food. But the cacophony of noises generated by offshore wind development is disrupting their lives — and ending them.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has routinely authorized the harassment of whales under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to allow for the construction of offshore wind farms. This harassment, often in the form of deafening sonar blasts, is proving fatal.

Deafness is a death sentence for whales. Without the ability to hear, they cannot avoid predators, locate food or navigate the ocean’s depths.

But even when deafness isn’t the direct cause, the noise drives whales into dangerous waters. Offshore wind arrays are typically built in areas with low ship traffic, pushing whales into high-traffic zones where collisions with ships are more likely.

Similarly, whales may flee from lightly fished areas into heavily fished ones, increasing their risk of entanglement in fishing gear. Ship strikes and entanglement are the two leading causes of whale deaths.

Ironically, some defenders of offshore wind projects argue that these deaths are unrelated to wind development. But the evidence suggests otherwise.

The noise from offshore wind projects is driving whales into harm’s way, making these deaths a direct consequence of the industry’s activities.

A call for accountability

The solution is clear: NOAA must drastically reduce the number of harassment authorizations it grants for offshore wind projects. Each project requires multiple authorizations, and the cumulative impact is devastating.

For example, the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale, with a population of just 340, is exposed to harassment from every Atlantic offshore wind project along its migration route.

Gerasoulis proposes a cap on the total number of harassment authorizations issued for a given whale population. This cap would function similarly to emissions limits for pollutants, ensuring that the cumulative impact of multiple projects does not exceed a safe threshold.

For the North Atlantic Right Whale, a cap of 10 percent of the population — just 34 harassments — would severely limit offshore wind development but could save the species from extinction. This cap should also apply to other endangered and protected species. (Related: Study finds humans, not climate change, responsible for extinction of hundreds of megafauna species over the last 50,000 years.)

For instance, Dominion’s massive offshore wind project off Virginia is authorized to harass over 50,000 dolphins. Such numbers are unsustainable and highlight the urgent need for stricter regulations.

But the problem is not limited to fixed offshore wind turbines. Floating turbine arrays, now being developed off the coasts of California, Maine and Massachusetts, introduce a new threat: a 3D web of mooring lines that crisscross the ocean. These lines not only disrupt whale behavior but also pose a significant entanglement risk.

Under the MMPA, any activity that causes a behavior change in protected mammals qualifies as harassment. The mooring lines of floating turbines clearly meet this definition and must be either heavily restricted or banned outright.

The tragic case of Luna the whale

The story of Luna, a 41-foot humpback whale, underscores the urgency of this issue. Luna, who had swum the East Coast for decades, washed up dead on Long Island in January 2023.

Luna was the tenth whale to strand on New York and New Jersey beaches in just nine weeks. Gerasoulis, inspired by Luna’s death, developed a software system named after the whale to analyze the relationship between offshore wind survey vessels and whale deaths.

Luna’s findings are damning. Before 2016, when offshore wind surveys began, an average of two humpback whales died annually in the New York-New Jersey region.

Since then, the average has skyrocketed to 10 deaths per year, with 21 humpbacks dying in 2023 alone. Gerasoulis’s statistical analysis confirms that this increase is not random but directly linked to offshore wind activities.

The loss of whales is not just an environmental tragedy; it is a moral failing. Whales like Luna and Saint — a young humpback who survived a severe injury only to die months later — are symbols of resilience and beauty. Their deaths are a stark reminder of the unintended consequences of human progress.

Trisha DeVoe, a conservation biologist who witnessed Saint’s struggle, puts it bluntly. "We really believe that what is killing these whales is the surveying work that they're doing. It's the only thing different in our ocean. We never had whales dying like this," warned DeVoe.

There is no denying that offshore wind development is killing whales. NOAA must act now to protect these vulnerable creatures by capping harassment authorizations, revoking existing permits for projects not yet under construction and conducting cumulative environmental impact analyses.

The North Atlantic Right Whale, with its dwindling population of 340, cannot afford to wait. As NOAA itself has stated, "The loss of even one individual a year may reduce the likelihood of species recovery."

Offshore wind may be a key component of the future of renewable energy, but it cannot come at the cost of marine life. The ocean is not just a resource to be exploited; it is a fragile ecosystem that sustains humanity. If humans fail to protect it, there is a risk of losing both whales and the very balance of life on Earth.

The time to act is now. While whales are resilient, they still need help to deal with this threat.

Visit Ecology.news to read more articles on how pollution negatively affects wildlife.

Watch this clip about a documentary on how wind farms are killing whales.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.