A pod of eight dolphins died after being stranded on 50th and 52nd street beaches in Sea Isle City. In Addition to this another dead dolphin washed up on the Monmouth County marina Wednesday, March 15th later in the evening, the 6th one since mid-February. They discovered the dolphin around 6 pm on the banks of Sandy Hook Bay in Middletown. The public was asked to remain clear of the area while they remove the mammal. Five other dolphins washed up in New Jersey, three in sandy hook, one in Atlantic Highlands, and one in Avalon. The initial necropsy results from the dolphin from Avalon indicated the dolphin had severe pneumonia, starved, and necrosis of the lungs. The problem is that while we have seen whales washing up on shore due to being hit by boats and other human activity, this is not normal for the dolphins to be washing up as well.

Middletown had put out an alert so no children would see it. The dolphin was already dead when it washed up. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) said it’s been an unusual year due to the high numbers of fatal marine mammals washing up. 

“As of March 2023, no offshore wind-related construction activities have taken place in waters off the New Jersey coast, and DEP is aware of no credible evidence that offshore wind-related survey activities could cause whale mortality,” according to the NJDEP.

Unfortunately, officials aren’t completely sure what’s causing this, last month three dolphins washed up on the jersey shore as well. The three mammals were struggling to survive at the surface of Sandy Hook Bay on Saturday, February 18th, rescue teams weren’t able to reach the dolphins fast enough. All the dolphins were males and necropsies reveal that they had gotten stranded and lost. 

To make it even worse a dead whale was found on a Queens beach, the 10th one since early December. Many people are aggravated and demand answers from the state, saying the offshore wind projects could be causing it. The DEP came out on March 15 saying they didn’t believe the wind turbines caused this.

Keep in mind especially in times like these to keep our beaches clean and take care of the environment, do your part! While most of this is out of our control, continue to educate yourself, especially on these offshore wind projects and environmental changes!