Dolphin found dead on NJ beach, 24th since December

🔴 The female common dolphin was found Saturday morning on a Cape May beach

🔴 It's the 24th dolphin found dead on a New Jersey beach since December

🔴 Gov. Phil Murphy said again there is no evidence connecting the deaths to wind energy projects

CAPE MAY — A dolphin was found dead on the Baltimore Avenue beach in Cape May Saturday morning, the 24th dolphin to become stranded on a New Jersey beach since December.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said an adult female common dolphin was found Saturday and was taken by some of its team for a necropsy. Fox Philadelphia reported the dolphin was found on the Baltimore Avenue beach.

A porpoise washed up on a beach in the Ortley Beach section of Toms River on Tuesday.  Necropsy results are pending from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. Porpoises and dolphins are both species of odontocetes or toothed whales. Porpoises have rounder faces and more triangular dorsal fins, while dolphins have more pointed beaks and dorsal fins.

The debate continues over whether or not work on wind energy projects along the New Jersey and New York shore are contributing to 16 whales and over two dozen dolphins and porpoises that have washed up since December.

Murphy reiterates no evidence connecting the deaths to wind energy projects

Gov. Phil Murphy doubled down Friday on his refusal to consider a temporary halt to work on wind energy and said there is no evidence. He said those calling for a halt are spreading "disinformation" and posted a report by the Rutgers Offshore Wind Energy Collaborative.

"Most reports are too quick to assign the cause of whale strandings without much concern for data and scientific input. Now more than ever it is critical that we consider the evidence and the complexity of the entire system before drawing conclusions about the causes. Many factors, natural and human-caused, impact ecosystem health," the report states.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd District) and Sen. Vince Polistina (R-Atlantic) spoke at a rally in Ventnor Sunday opposing the wind projects before an estimated crowd of 500, according to the Press of Atlantic City.

“This has been, in my 51 years in Atlantic County, one of the most frightening things we have ever experienced here,” Polistina said, according to the report.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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