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According to the state Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution put the buoy about 20 miles off the coast of Atlantic City on Sunday, Feb. 11. The buoy provides real-time monitoring of baleen whales by identifying their distinct calls.
NJDEP said tracking the vocalizations of baleen whales can help marine biologists understand how changing ocean conditions could affect seasonal migration patterns. The buoy will monitor whales for two years.
The research buoy will also provide data to help conservation efforts by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries service for severely threatened right whales, which are a species of baleen whale.
"For example, recording the presence of endangered North Atlantic right whales will improve our understanding of their distribution along the east coast and will aid NOAA Fisheries in establishing seasonal management areas where mariners are required to reduce their speed during times when North Atlantic right whales are typically present," the NJDEP said.
Between Sunday, Feb. 11, and Tuesday, Feb. 27, the buoy detected fin whales on 11 days, humpback whales were sensed on five days, and right whales were identified on two days. There were also potential humpbacks detected on three days, fin whales on two days, and right whales on one day.
The real-time data will also allow NOAA Fisheries to institute temporary boater slow zones for 15 days in areas where whales are detected. The goal of the slow zones is to prevent whales from colliding with boats.
As New Jersey offshore wind energy projects move through the approval process, some environmentalists have been concerned about the impacts on marine life, especially whales. NOAA's website said there was no scientific evidence of offshore wind activity causing large whale deaths.
NJDEP said it has been studying "unusual humpback whale mortality" since January 2016 and New Jersey dedicated $8.5 million in 2023 toward "safe and ecologically responsible development of offshore wind energy."
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