8 Dolphins Die After Beaching on the Jersey Shore
Since December 2022, at least 10 whales have also washed ashore on New York or New Jersey beaches.
8 dolphins have died after beaching on the Jersey Shore on March 21, as part of what appears to be a worrying trend of marine life deaths in the area, dating back to the end of 2022. The dolphins washed ashore on a beach in Sea Isle City, a beach community in New Jersey’s Cape May County that's south of Atlantic City.
Per local affiliate KYW-TV, public workers spent hours pouring water onto the animals in the hopes of keeping them alive, but ultimately, a decision was made to euthanize them.
“The decision was made to humanely euthanize the dolphins to prevent further suffering, as returning them to the ocean would have only prolonged their inevitable death,” the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said in a Facebook post.
Since December 2022, at least 10 whales have washed ashore on New York or New Jersey beaches. A similar beaching involving dolphins also occurred last week in NJ’s Sandy Hook Bay. NOAA officials are already conducting an investigation into what could be causing an “unusual mortality event,” specifically among whale populations in the area, which the agency says has been ongoing since 2016.
The incidents have caused several local leaders and conservative pundits to question if offshore wind energy development in the area is to blame. However, NOAA Fisheries has denied a link between wind farms and marine life deaths, saying in a statement that “there is no evidence” linking them.