Ocean City mayor pushes for halt of offshore wind farms over rash of dead whales washing ashore

BALTIMORE - The mayor of Ocean City is calling for state and federal officials to stop the development of offshore wind farms.

This all stems from a spike in dead whales washing ashore in Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.

So far, at least 10 humpback whales have died in East Coast waters in 2023, including one on Assateague Island in January.

However, officials with NOAA maintain there is no evidence to suggest the whale deaths are being caused by offshore wind turbines.

But that's not stopping Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan from calling for a pause.

"It's alarming there has been an increased amount of these incidents in the Mid-Atlantic area," Mayor Meehan said. "It is something that is out of the ordinary and something that is very concerning."

Mayor Meehan told WJZ he is not against renewable energy, but he wants to make sure these projects are being implemented in a way that keeps our environment and our wildlife safe.

Meehan joins 12 other New Jersey shore mayors who have also called for a halt on offshore wind activity.