Dead whales washing up is ‘tragic,’ Murphy says. N.J. probing whether offshore wind is to blame.

Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday it’s “tragic” that six dead whales have washed up on the New York-New Jersey coastline over the last five weeks and said officials are examining whether offshore wind development has played a role.

Asked during a radio interview if he’s looking into those concerns, Murphy said: “We are.”

“It’s tragic. It’s just awful,” the Democratic governor said during his regular call-in show on WBGO in Newark. “We take it seriously.”

Most recently, a dead 30-foot humpback whale washed ashore in Atlantic City on Jan. 7, blocks from where another was found on Dec. 23. It was the sixth whale found in the region in 33 days.

Activists on Monday held a news conference demanding a federal investigation into whether work developing offshore wind turbine has contributed to the deaths. Clean Ocean Action, a Long Branch-based non-profit, called for President Joe Biden to pause offshore wind development to assess the possible harm to marine life.

Save LBI, a group that has long opposed plans for turbines along the Jersey coast, has also urged Murphy’s administration to suspend its offshore wind program to investigate. The group claims turbines would be an eyesore and cause excessive noise, as well.

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Though no offshore wind turbines have been built in New Jersey, the state Board of Public Utilities has approved three projects and more are being planned. Offshore wind is a key part of Murphy’s plans to fight climate change by producing 11,000 megawatts of electric wind by 2040. And while several climate groups have spoken in favor of offshore wind, many said they were concerned where it may be located and potential damage that can be done during the development.

Murphy said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has noted an increase in reported humpback whale deaths since 2016 across the East Coast. An NOAA official said no humpback whale death so far has been” attributed to offshore wind activities.” Information on the cause of death of other whale species and marine life was not immediately provided.

The governor added there is also evidence “some of these whales have been hit by vessels.”

“We do not see any causality at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we don’t take it seriously,” Murphy said.

NOAA’s online tally shows there have been 21 dead humpback whales reported stranded in New Jersey and 34 in New York since 2016.

Environmental groups say in addition to the two whales found recently in Atlantic City, the following have washed up in the region as of late: a 12-foot infant sperm whale in Keansburg on Dec. 5, a humpback whale in Amagansett, New York, on Dec. 6, a juvenile humpback whale in Upper Township on Dec. 10, and a sperm whale in Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York, on Dec. 12.