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Humpback whale dies after washing up on Delaware seashore
A humpback whale died after washing up at Delaware Seashore State Park Thursday morning.
REHOBOTH BEACH, De. - A humpback whale died after washing up at Delaware Seashore State Park Thursday morning.
Whale Discovered
What we know:
FOX 5 received pictures and videos of the whale from a Delaware photographer, Jen Pawloski, who witnessed the recovery efforts. She said crews were working to move the whale around 8:30 a.m.
Pawloski said in her assessment there were "no visible ship strikes or entanglement issues." The cause of death of the whale
According to Delaware Online, two whales beached and died on the Delaware Seashore — one in May and another in August.
Offshore Wind Project Concerns
Local perspective:
There have been concerns about offshore wind projects causing harm to ocean life in recent years, particularly whales.
Last year, two dead whales were discovered on Assateague Island in Maryland within a three-week period. The deaths came right around the time developers with Baltimore wind energy firm US Wind were racing to construct Maryland's first offshore wind projects.
According to FOX News Digital, the company was developing two projects — the 300-megawatt MarWin project and the 800-megawatt Momentum Wind project — slated to begin generating electricity in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
US Wind sent a statement to FOX 5 to clarify that "This project is not in construction yet and no construction has taken place for these projects at any time." They also say that the company "has not done any work in the ocean since 2022, when they completed survey activities."
The construction was expected to take place just 20 miles off the coast of Maryland on an Atlantic Ocean site northeast of Assateague Island National Seashore.
In January of this year, U.S. Wind announced that the Maryland Public Service Commission approved their rebid application and awarded the company additional offshore wind renewable energy credits.
Following the approval, US Wind said it will construct a "1,710megawatt (MW) project developed in four phases that will consist of 114 15MW turbines." They expect it to be operational by 2029.
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Editor's Note: This story has been updated with a statement from US Wind.