The rise of online shopping contributed to the surge in whale deaths, according to the New York Times.
Whale Deaths Are Surging
According to Science Alert, 23 whales have been found dead off the East Coast since December 2022. This is based on data that the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has granted the Times. These whale deaths can be explained by various factors that are environmental and resultant of human activity.
Since 2016, NOAA has been monitoring unusual mortality rates of humpback whales along the Atlantic Coast. However, the recent surge in whale deaths- which covered minke whales, humpback whales, and critically endangered North Atlantic right whales- led NOAA Fisheries to address the concern in a call with some reporters last January.
As per Business Insider, during the call, public affairs director Lauren Gaches said that climate change plays a role in the surge of dead whales washing up. This is because warm oceans lead fish to get closer to the shore. Gaches said that they have been seeing several marine species populations adapt by migrating to areas with better conditions.
Changing prey distributions affect the other species that depend on these creatures. This could lead to heightened human interactions as some whales reside close to the shoreline.
This also means that as the whales look for prey, they end up along the paths taken by cargo ships. These ships have become bigger and have increased in number over the past few years.
Online Shopping Cargo Ships as a Likely Culprit Behind Whale Death Surge
With the rise of online shopping, haulings of cargo ships have also increased. Business Insider reports that specifically, hauling across the Atlantic right into the busy New York and New Jersey Port has increased.
Other than this, these ships have become larger than before in order to carry greater capacities. Moreover, they have been lurking through new trajectories in order to avoid shipping lane clogging.
Business Insider reports that the New York and New Jersey Port Authority saw a 27% volume spike last year compared to 2019. Moreover, East Coast shipping traffic has also heightened as boats have been making back-and-forth trips in order to get empty containers for shipping.
Though speed limits have been proposed by NOAA, it is still a blatant reality that whales will search for and follow food. Paul Sieswerda, who serves as the executive director of Gotham Whale in New York City, says that when whales stay inside the channels, one can only hope that no collisions will take place.
Because of the strong force, boat strikes may lead to internal injuries. Boat propellers can also cause strong gashes.
In fact, according to USA Today, two more whales were spotted dead along the coast of the Atlantic. They were determined to have been hit by such huge boats.
This was not the first time for specialists to shed light on how cargo ships pose a danger to whales. Science Alert reports that a year ago, specialists called for these ships to reroute in order to protect and preserve the blue whales that are endangered and that dwell along the Sri Lankan coast.
Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world's largest container line, reportedly adhered to such requests. Animal welfare communities also mentioned that if other businesses followed suit, ship strike rates would decrease by a whopping 95%.
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