New York State
Environmental Technical Working Group
Specialist Committees
Whale Communications
The Offshore Wind Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG) formed a specialist committee in 2023 to develop communications materials to aid in the dissemination of accurate, readily understandable information around recent whale mortality events and the level of potential risk to whales from offshore wind energy development activities.
This committee developed a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) as a resource for stakeholders who communicate directly with the general public and receive questions related to whales and offshore wind. This effort intends to provide scientifically sound, accurate answers to address common questions. Note: FAQ resources may include technical information that is not appropriate for a general audience. The committee's focus was on creating a scientifically accurate resource, but users may still need to help translating content for specific audiences. A Glossary of Terms is available to help with this process.
See FAQ Themes and Table of Contents below to navigate to individual responses, or see here to view the full FAQ Document with detailed responses and citations, as well as a Glossary of Key Terms and additional resources to aid in the dissemination of the FAQ document :
FAQ Document Version History:
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Version 1 (February 2024): Included introduction and 4 FAQ responses
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Version 2 (June 2024): Included 8 new FAQ responses
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Version 2.1 (August 2024): Updated Why are baleen whales dying in the Northwest Atlantic and is this a new phenomenon? to more accurately reflect the causes of recent increases in humpback whale strandings
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Version 3 (October 2024): Included 4 new FAQ responses
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Version 4 (January 2025): Included 7 new FAQ responses | Communications toolkit to facilitate and encourage sharing and amplifying the release of the updated FAQ document
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Version 5 (May 2025): Final version, including a total of 33 FAQ responses | Fact sheet | 2-Page Handout
For additional information on the whale communications committee or other E-TWG activities, please contact Julia Gulka and/or subscribe to the ​​E-TWG mailing list below!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Whale FAQ Table of Contents
I. Anthropogenic Impacts on Whales
How is climate change affecting large whales?
Are whale and prey distributions changing? If so, why?
What factors influence vessel strike risk for large whales?
What are the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammals?
How does sound produced from offshore wind compare with other industries?
II. Strandings and Unusual Mortality Events
What are strandings and unusual mortality events?
What are some of the causes of stranding events for marine mammals?
What are the drivers of recent humpback whale strandings on the U.S. Atlantic coast?
Why are baleen whales dying in the Northwest Atlantic and is this a new phenomenon?
What can we learn from stranding data?
What are the biases or limitations of stranding data?
How and when are Unusual Mortality Events considered open or closed?
Are necropsy reports publicly available?
III. Offshore Wind Development Process
What are the major components of an offshore wind farm?
What are the potential effects of offshore wind on whales?
Does offshore wind energy development kill whales?
What are the effects of electromagnetic fields from offshore wind on marine mammals and their prey?
IV. Marine Mammal Research and Monitoring
How do scientists study whales?
What are the risks and benefits of tagging whales?
How do marine mammals experience sound differently from humans?
What are Protected Species Observers and what data do they collect about marine mammals?
V. Offshore Wind Regulatory Process and Mitigation
What federal and international environmental laws protect whales?
What mitigation measures are available to avoid or minimize offshore wind effects on marine mammals?
What marine mammal mitigation measures are required by regulators in the U.S. for offshore wind?
What marine mammal-related permits, approvals and authorizations do offshore wind developers get?
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Other Resources
There are a variety of science communications materials and science-based information available on wildlife and offshore wind energy development in our webinar library, and selected external resources for learning more are also available here.
Photo credits: Humpback whale © Thomas Kelley - Unsplash; Wind farm © David Will - pixabay;