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It’s been a record-setting year for whale and dolphin strandings in Southeastern Massachusetts, raising questions from fisheries scientists and fueling speculation from offshore wind opponents.
On Nov. 11, an area resident spotted a dead dolphin on the shore at Gooseberry Island in Westport. On Oct. 31, a dead humpback whale came aground near Elephant Rock Beach in Westport. On Aug. 29, locals encountered a minke whale dead on the beach at Mass Audubon’s Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in Dartmouth.
Many more marine mammals have washed up on the South Coast this year, said Misty Niemeyer, the stranding coordinator for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The organization has responded to more than 500 beached animals across the South Coast and Cape Cod in 2024, including mass dolphin strandings.
The local stranding season isn’t over yet, Niemeyer said. Activity may ramp up in November and December.
IFAW is the state and federally authorized organization that handles local marine mammal strandings. Niemeyer said that while the number this year has been “kind of a shock,” it is not a surprise. It falls in line with a trend of increasing strandings locally and along the East Coast going back roughly a decade.
“This is the direction things have been going,” she said.
Images of recent local strandings are fueling concerns on social media over the impacts of offshore wind development on whales and marine life.
Niemeyer said that fisheries scientists have been seeing this trend in increasing marine mammal strandings “long before wind farms started developing” in the region. It is happening up and down the East Coast, including in areas where offshore wind development is not occurring.
The exact cause for the long-term increase in dolphin and whale strandings is not yet clear. Though Niemeyer said it is likely linked to developments like climate change and warming ocean temperatures, which seem to be driving their prey closer to shore.
That may be leading these mammals closer to fishing and commercial shipping boats, resulting in an increase in vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements, and more marine mammal strandings.
Beached dolphin in Westport
On Nov. 11, an IFAW volunteer responded to a local report of a stranded marine mammal on Gooseberry Island in Westport. Upon arrival, the responder identified the animal as an adult female common dolphin.
The volunteer conducted an external examination, before leaving the beached dolphin at the site. There was no external evidence of a vessel strike or fishing gear entanglement seen on the dolphin. The responder did not perform any necropsy on the animal.
Niemeyer said it was “a very typical stranding for this time of year.” Many dolphins swim off the coast of Massachusetts during the fall and winter months, and end up stranded.
Dolphins can get beached along the coast of Massachusetts due to unusual weather and tides, said a spokesperson for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries). They can also strand as a result of boat strikes, fishing gear entanglement, and disease.
Dolphin strandings are particularly common on Cape Cod. That region is known for getting the most frequent large groups of dolphin strandings of anywhere in the world, Niemeyer said.
While these strandings may not happen as frequently on the South Coast as they do on the Cape, “we certainly do see it,” Niemeyer said.
Stranded humpback in Westport
What is seen less often is a dead humpback whale washing up on South Coast beaches, like what happened in Westport on Halloween.
IFAW had been expecting the humpback’s arrival in the area since October 28, Niemeyer said.
That day, they received word from NOAA Fisheries officials of a dead humpback whale floating off Martha’s Vineyard, with signs of propeller wounds.
It floated through waters around Vineyard Sound and in Buzzards Bay, before landing at a private beach in Westport on Oct. 31. IFAW crews responded that same day.
The responders worked with the town of Westport to conduct an initial examination of the dead humpback whale on the beach, and perform a necropsy. They identified it as a 33-foot-long female calf. The crews then buried the whale on the beach.
The necropsy report has not yet been finalized, and it may take several weeks to months to review findings, a NOAA Fisheries spokesperson said.
Initial examinations showed signs of a ship’s propeller strike, with a minimum of 17 distinct wounds, Niemeyer said. Those wounds were also visible when the animal was alive, she said.
NOAA Fisheries has been tracking elevated mortality levels for humpback whales — which are stranding on East Coast beaches — since 2016. Researchers do not know exactly why this trend is occurring, but they refer to the collective phenomenon as an “unusual mortality event.”
Agency researchers say they have observed more than 230 dead humpbacks from 2016 to now, with close to 50 of those deaths reported in Massachusetts.
NOAA Fisheries and its partner organizations like IFAW conducted partial or full necropsies on roughly half of these whales. Of the whales examined, about 40% had evidence of vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements.
Humpback whales have been recovering after they were designated as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act back in the 1970s. The population in the North Atlantic is no longer listed as threatened nor endangered, though it is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Dead minke whale in Dartmouth
IFAW also responded to a 21-foot female dead “subadult” minke whale stranding at Mass Audubon’s Allen’s Pond Wildlife Sanctuary back on Aug. 29.
Due to complications with moving the carcass to another site, IFAW opted to cut three windows to allow for a limited examination of the minke whale’s internal organs, a NOAA Fisheries spokesperson said.
Responders could not roll the carcass over, so they could not conduct a full external examination. The IFAW team then left the whale on site. A necropsy report is not available yet.
Like humpbacks, minke whales have been experiencing an unusual mortality event on the East Coast. This has been happening since 2017, according to NOAA Fisheries.
Agency researchers have reported seeing close to 190 stranded minke whales along the East Coast in the past seven-plus years. They reported 64 were found in Massachusetts.
NOAA Fisheries and its partners have been working on necropsies on more than half of these minke whales to identify the probable cause of death. Preliminary examinations of several whales have shown evidence of vessel strikes or fishing entanglements, or infectious diseases.
Niemeyer of IFAW said crews did not see any signs of an entanglement or vessel strike on the minke whale that got stranded in Dartmouth during their initial examinations.
The IFAW team did identify signs of a potential infectious disease, as well as signs of “straining trauma,” Niemeyer said. That means the whale may have stranded itself while it was still alive, and then died on the shore.
Minke whales are not considered endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Offshore wind and strandings
A NOAA Fisheries spokesperson said “there remains no evidence at this time that offshore wind activities are causing cetacean strandings.”
Niemeyer said IFAW response crews conduct “a thorough exam” for cause of death to whales and other marine mammals during its necropsy and on-site response efforts. To this point, IFAW has not uncovered any data showing that stranded whales and dolphins have been injured by offshore wind development.
“It is an industry that we’re concerned about, because it does have the potential for impact,” Niemeyer said. “But there has not been any evidence of that to this date.”
So, why do these fisheries scientists believe more whales and dolphins are ending up stranded on East Coast beaches? The jury is still out. Though Niemeyer believes that much of the answer lies in climate change, which is causing the Atlantic Ocean to warm. This may be causing populations of prey like bait fish and plankton to move closer to shore.
A recent Conservation Biology study found that dolphins and whales may be moving closer to the shore and surface to catch their prey, ending up in the direct line of shipping vessels and close to fishing boats. This may put them at a higher risk of ship strikes and gear entanglements, resulting in more strandings, Niemeyer said.
She said that there have been many anecdotal sightings of dolphins feeding close to shore on Cape Cod this year, and that more strandings are being attributed to strikes and entanglements.
NOAA Fisheries scientists believe the growth in stranding numbers may also be related to dolphin and whale population recoveries since the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, and a global moratorium on commercial whaling implemented in 1986. Larger marine mammal populations could be driving an increase in vessel collisions and fishing gear entanglement incidents.
Niemeyer said it could also be a combination of these factors, intensifying over time.
“It’s a little bit hard to definitively say why, but those are sort of the suspicions that we have,” Niemeyer said.
Email environmental reporter Adam Goldstein at agoldstein@newbedfordlight.org.
The problem is that the science has already been proven back in the Eighties. 60 Minutes did a great job explaining how the Department of the Navy would test its sonar in the Puget sound.
The whales and dolphins would literally try too jump out of the water.
Not to mention the deafening noise made by pile driving the foundations into the bottom of the ocean.
The cats out of the bag here and “science is for sale in Woods Hole .
They invented the underwater microphones for the department of the Navy way back in the 1940’s.
Wake up people it’s another ponzi scam.
It seems appropriate to me that IFAW or other credible independent organizations should be somehow adequately funded to perform full necropsies on all beached whales or dolphins. (Have the offshore wind companies been asked to help?) Instead of guessing whether vessel propellors (either fishing, wind farm servicing, or other vessels), or fishing gear entanglement, or none of the above are the causes of the grounding, we need real data? Otherwise, advocates and regulators are just guessing, blaming, and finger pointing. It is amazing to me to read that many beached whales are not fully evaluated because of lack of equipment or resources. This information is important for major industries like offshore-wind, offshore fishing, and scalloping, and facts, not speculation, are needed to develop good decisions and policy!
The East Coast fisheries of the United States Mid Atlantic region is being devastated under the rising ocean temperatures. The past two years the Atlantic Sea Scallop fishery has been suffering from low yields due to a lack of phytoplankton(food) everywhere but the South East Parts of Georges Banks. I’m a Captain who has almost a half century’s experience on the scallop grounds. Invasive species and warming ocean temperatures have devastated the southern and inshore scallop beds. For the past two years the Labrador Current which sweeps down from the higher cooler waters has been extremely strong and is allowing a rejuvenation in our offshore areas above Maryland. The bottom below Maryland has not produced a viable scallop trip in over 5 years. The World’s fisheries are migrating towards the poles if they are temperature sensitive.
Adam good article. Putting these huge turbines astride the ancient migratory routes of these marine mammals is just like fencing the Great Plains. The migration animals die. The poison of Wall Street addicted to the money made from structuring these deal and all those economic promises to the region are a lie. The real money has been made by the consultants told what answer is needed for a positive Environmental Impact Statement before the study begins. We now have the highest electric rates in the country because of this progressive agenda. These rates means pain to the working class and more jobs leaving for cheaper regions. Oh, I forgot. There is good news on the job front. There are going to be many jobs in New Bedford cleaning up after all those broken turbine blades.
Adam called to interview me for this article. I spent half an hour talking with him about Incidental Take Authorizations–that NOAA Fisheries has handed out “take” authorizations to wind companies to harass, harm or inflict “sub-lethal” injury on hundreds of thousands of marine mammals. I very clearly made the point that NOAA can’t have it both ways. They cannot authorize hundreds of thousands of takes and then say “there is no evidence” offshore wind construction is responsible for the whales and dolphins washing up dead or dying on beaches in close proximity to OSW construction. I also asked him to THINK about WHY so many whales are suddenly colliding with ships. Could it possibly be that their hearing is compromised by all the noise being inflicted by OSW pile driving, sonar use, and ship thrusters? Might the enormous increase in ship traffic to and from these construction areas be a factor? It is disappointing to see that he didn’t see fit to include any alternative perspective or ask any hard questions, but just parroted NOAA talking points as regurgitated by IFAW.
As usual, it’s forgotten to be mentioned but the ingestion of microplastics from fishing net use easily enters the biosphere of large mammals, even humans, through the food chain!
I have no letters behind my name, zero experience in the energy industry and unfortunately am not a marine biologist. However, even though I understand that yes global warming is a huge contributing factor; growing up in a coastal town I do know that SOUND has a huge effect on sea life’s health. So this average person would put money on the increased vessel traffic, construction, and big tax dollar spending being the recent reason for the loss of marine life. And what is killing them has lined the pockets of a few to the detriment of the many.
The sound issue is a topic worthy of discussion. Our oceans have been flooded with sound pollution ever since the use of sonar. At higher power and at certain frequencies whales and other mammals have been known to rise from the depths rapidly to escape the sounds that they actually get the bends.
Anybody ever consider that the constant movement of the magnetic poles could be causing confusion for these poor animals rather than climate change. You know something that is actually real.