Whale safety research planned near East Coast wind farms

By WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press

SEASIDE PARK, N.J. (AP) — As dead whales continue to wash ashore on the U.S. East Coast, officials and academics in New Jersey, New York and elsewhere are planning a wide array of monitoring and research aimed at preventing harm to the animals during construction and operation of offshore wind farms. An initiative announced last year is launching numerous projects to establish a baseline of current ocean conditions, with plans for monitoring while wind farms are built and operated. The $26 million program is funded by offshore wind companies. Three federal scientific agencies say there is no evidence linking offshore wind activities to whale deaths.