the number of dead whales washing up on East Coast beaches surge in recent months sparking public curiosity and alarm scientists who have been studying well deaths in the region for years have said most of the animals appear to have been killed by ship strikes but those findings have been ignored and rejected by groups seeking to block offshore wind development instead those groups have used the whale deaths to push unfounded theories that the wind industry is a cause that was the focus of a hearing hosted by GOP Congressman Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith yesterday in Wildwood Ted Goldberg continues his reporting on the controversial subject hundreds of people came to Wildwood yesterday with one question this is can't be a coincidence that you have these marine mammals dying week after week on The Jersey coast and the New York coast why Cindy Parker picarick was among the people protesting offshore wind development outside a public hearing called by Congressman Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith she believes there's a link between offshore surveys and the increasing number of dead whales washing up on the Jersey Shore Ocean City did not vote for this but they bought an eminent domain they bought in home rule and here we are having to battle electrical currents coming through our towns into our oceans everything they have done has undergone extensive review over a multi-year period we've been laying underwater you know cable on the bottom of the ocean floor for decades and there has not been a concern a real concern over serious harm to marine life Aaron rice did not testify yet to hear it but he's an ecologist at Cornell researching how whales and fish perceive sounds he's heard arguments that whales are more likely to hit vessels because they could get disoriented by the radar used for offshore surveys rice says similar technology is used in fish finders without any issues based on the best available data that we have now the likelihood of any impact of offer wind development to Wales is extremely low people at the hearing disagree there are definite studies so I'm wondering if they're being hidden because it's out there hidden by uh anybody who's Pro this project I think there's a great deal of evidence to suggest that they are being harmed and this idea with the governor and others saying you know there's no evidence there's like a group think going on among the scientists that I find appalling Republican Congressman Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew aren't convinced either their hearing featured several witnesses like save LBI founder Bob Stern who unsuccessfully sued to block the offshore Wind Farm during the hearing Smith and Van Drew called for Congress to investigate any possible link between offshore wind activities and whale strandings the true is that our government is acting more in the interest of the Rich and Powerful that in the interest of our people I think Jeffrey and Drew is a flip-flopper not everybody in Wildwood was on board with Van Drew's message one of the counter protesters was Ed patosnick leader of the New Jersey League of conservation voters he says many of the people in Wildwood aren't here because they care about whales the folks that are really supporting that false narrative they're funded by the fossil fuel industry today the Caesar Rodney Institute is going to speak about these false narratives they receive funding and they've admitted it from the fossil fuel industry this is just a front AstroTurf group there's been a big bump in humpback whale deaths on the East Coast for the past seven years starting before surveys did for offshore wind the State's Department of Environmental Protection says you can't blame offshore wind for this The Marine Mammal populations are growing and you know what that's doing that that collection of events it's putting that growing population in direct conflict with a shipping Super Highway that exists just that or just off our Coast in response to our request for comment orsted an underwriter of NJ Spotlight news and the company that owns the rights to the wind farm sent this comment since 2019 our ocean win one project has been undergoing a complete and thorough Federal review process bombs 1408-page draft environmental impact statement on Ocean wind 1 includes 1200 cited references from sources such as the U.S Coast Guard the U.S Navy and Cape May County in addition to peer-reviewed experts making it the most thoroughly researched and readily available document for public review for NJ Spotlight news I'm Ted Goldberg