• A large offshore wind project off Martha’s Vineyard will kill thousands of whales, including dozens of endangered species act (ESA) protected whales and up to 20 endangered North Atlantic right whales. Acquired an “acquisition” permit permitting the accidental killing of marine mammals.
• Federal regulations allow the issuance of permits to capture marine life as long as the number of incidental mortalities permitted has minimal impact on the long-term viability of the species.
• New England Fisheries Management Association (NEFSA) president Jerry Lehman told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the turbine construction process would require an underwater explosion “louder than a jet engine 25 yards away.” said.

A large-scale offshore wind farm development project is underway off the coast of Massachusetts after project developers received 20 permits to “collect” endangered right whales from environmental officials and regulators.

vineyard wind It began offshore construction of its 62 wind turbine projects on Thursday, according to the company. WBUR. At an offshore wind farm built this summer about 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, the company is legally permitted to accidentally kill up to 20 endangered right whales, according to the Federal Register. It is said that there is entry for the project.

The development site is within the sea area identified as “”.[representing] “It’s becoming an increasingly important habitat as right whale populations decline,” says the 2022 report. study Led by researchers at the New England Aquarium (NEA). According to a July 2022 report, researchers “found a significant upward trend in right whale populations off Martha’s Vineyard.” summary Research content on the NEA website.

Federal regulators from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told Vineyard Wind in June 2021 that they would target the endangered right whale, according to a Federal Register statement about the project. Issued permission to include in scope. According to Section 1361 of the Act, a capture permit permits “the accidental but unintentional capture of small numbers of marine mammals by United States citizens engaged in specified activities (other than commercial fishing) within specified geographic areas.” To do. title 16 of US law.

Regulators will grant permits for incidental killings of marine life if NMFS determines that “the impact on the species is negligible,” according to the federal bulletin for the project. According to a statement in the Federal Register, the permit allows Vineyard Wind to accidentally rescue dozens of endangered species protected whales (including up to 20 endangered right whales) during construction. allowed to kill.

The Federal Register notes that NOAA has calculated “conservatively” how many right whales are allowed to be caught in the development project. “A single human-induced death puts a species at risk of extinction,” said Dr. Jessica Redfern of the Anderson Cabot Marine Life Center. testified At Tuesday’s hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee on commercial threats to right whale populations. (Related: Democratic senator’s call to investigate whale death omits any mention of offshore wind)

WBUR said offshore construction will take place over the summer and will be halted for the winter of November 2023.

.@VineyardWind Projects fail for a variety of reasons.

Here’s why (thread):
https://t.co/QGDbT7uQyr pic.twitter.com/Uq8giKiZ13

— NE Fisheries Management Society (@fishstewardship) June 9, 2023

According to a February 2023 report, “The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large whales.” memo From the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC). NOAA estimates the remaining number of right whales to be less than 350, according to its report. website. “Between 2003 and 2018, all juvenile and adult right whale deaths were attributed to human activity when the cause of death was identifiable,” the MMC memorandum said.

“NOAA has published these findings, but has denied and “ignored” a “direct correlation” between offshore wind farm development and an increase in the number of right whale carcasses washing up on shore since around 2016. It does, said Steve Miloy, senior E&E legal fellow. A former Trump EPA transition team member told the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF).

Miloy’s “hypothesis” is that the extreme noise generated by underwater surveys is likely to disorient right whales and cause them to crash into ships, causing serious injury and possibly death.

Jerry Lehman, president of the New England Fisheries Management Association (NEFSA), told the DCNF that the turbine construction process requires underwater noise for surveying, which is “louder than a jet engine 25 yards away.” said. “When you look at areas of industrial development, there are always wildlife and environmental impacts,” Lehmann says. “Increased vessel surveys for offshore wind farm development are coinciding with an increase in the beaching of these mammals,” he added. (Related: Biden administration to fund more offshore wind turbines despite rising whale deaths)

According to a February 2023 report, the Marine Energy Management Authority has imposed “strict protections when the offshore wind industry operates offshore” to “ensure that whales are protected from offshore wind leasing and development activities.” We need action,” he said. fact sheet.

Vineyard Wind did not immediately respond to DCNF’s request for comment.

All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers capable of serving large audiences. All reissues must include our company logo, press byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.