Offshore wind developments have been a contentious topic for some time now as they share the same waters with critically endangered right whales. Scientists have begged the question, how safely can they coexist?
It's important to highlight there are only about 360 of these whales left in the world.
Concerning points include the fact that wherever offshore wind farms are being built and maintained, there will be more boats in the water, which increases the chances of a ship strike or collision between a boat and whale, according to Eve Zuckoff, a climate and environment reporter for Cape and Islands.
Her statement follows the news from Vineyard Wind as they announced the company is building 62 turbines south of Martha's Vineyard, where each stands as tall as the Eiffel Tower. This presents more of a risk to right whales that could become entangled in marine debris that's coming from the wind farms.
Zuckoff told Maine Public Radio that there's a high probability that the wind farms affect the copepods, little crustaceans right whales are known to consume, by changing the circulation of the ocean.
Additionally, exposure to noise from the construction of the wind farms has scientists worried that loud pile driving to anchor wind turbines to the ocean floor could result in hearing impairment, masking right whales' vocal communication, which ultimately causes the animals stress and prone to affect their behavior.
So what's killing right whales? Climate change. Right whales, like most animals, chase food, and as waters continue to warm, copepods shift into different areas where there is no protection from boat speed limits or fishing rules protect them.
Zuckoff reported that if the impacts of climate change are not mitigated, right whales will continue to be displaced, causing more boat accidents and entanglement in more gear.
"Look, we've seen offshore wind developers limit noise to protect right whale hearing, slow down their boats, and only do major construction outside of the whales' peak migration season, among other protections, and the federal government is taking steps to codify these and other protections into law," Zuckoff said in the interview.
"But if that all goes well, offshore wind farms could be safe for right whales and they could become huge climate change mitigation tools, putting us on track to get the ocean and planet's rapid warming under control."
Scientists assert that more funding is needed to research the impacts of offshore wind impacts and say they need regulators to listen to the best practices as they develop.
