COURT HOUSE – The Marine Mammal Stranding Center has reported four bottlenose dolphins have washed ashore so far in June. Three of the four were found on Cape May County beaches.
One dolphin was found, June 5, in North Beach on Long Beach Island, Ocean County.
Two more dolphins were found, June 7 and 12, in Cape May Point, one so badly scavenged that it was disposed of by Public Works.
The most recent dolphin carcass washed ashore in Wildwood, June 22. All, except for the badly scavenged one in Cape May Point, have been sent to labs for necropsies.
The four dolphins continue a spike in sea mammal fatalities that have contributed to a call for a pause in offshore wind activities by the Board of County Commissioners and 10 of the 16 municipalities in the county.
While the arguments against the wind farm initiative have broadened, sea mammal fatalities are still the single most visible symbol of concern for many who wish to slow the process down until more is known about the environmental impact on sea mammals.
Sea mammal fatalities remained a focus of concern during the Cape May County virtual information session on offshore wind conducted June 24.
Supporters of wind farm construction argue that there is no evidence linking the preconstruction work in the Atlantic and the sudden rise in sea mammal strandings.
