A Dozen Whales Die as Online Shopping Increases
- New York Post
VIVA – Whales are dying due to climate change and end up in the path of cargo ships carrying goods for online shoppers. Almost a dozen whales have washed up dead along the United States' east coast since December, The New York Times has reported.
Since early December, it is known 23 whales have beached dead along the East Coast, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data provided to The Times. Their deaths are caused by a variety of factors, both environmental and human-induced.
NOAA has been tracking 'unusual mortality events' among the Atlantic Coast humpback whale population since 2016. The recent spike in whale deaths – including humpback whales, minke whales, and the endangered North Atlantic right whale – prompted NOAA Fisheries to handle the crisis.
NOAA's Director of Public Affairs, Lauren Gaches said that climate change is partly to blame for the number of whales dying as warming oceans cause the fish they eat to move closer to shore.
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- Tokopedia
"We're seeing many populations of marine species adapting by moving to new areas where conditions are better," Gaches said.
Changing prey distribution impacts the larger marine species that depend on it. It can increase interactions with humans as some whales move closer to nearshore habitats. This means that as some whales search for prey, they move into the path of cargo ships, which have gotten bigger and more numerous over the past three years.
The surge in online shopping that began during the pandemic has led to an increase in cargo ships transporting those goods across the Atlantic to the Ports of New York and New Jersey.
Moreover, the ships are becoming larger than ever to carry more shipping containers, also taking new routes to avoid shipping lane congestion as in previous years, according to the times.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey saw a 27 percent increase in volume last year compared to 2019 levels, and shipping traffic along the East Coast has increased as ships began making round trips to pick up empty containers.
While NOAA has proposed speed limits that give whales time to get out of the path of oncoming ships, the fact remains that whales will always follow their food.
Collisions with ships can cause internal injuries from blunt force trauma, and their propellers can inflict large wounds. Two whales that washed up dead along the Atlantic Coast this month were found to have been struck by ships.
This is not the first time experts have warned about ships endangering whale populations. A year ago, scientists began asking cargo ships to start rerouting to protect endangered blue whales living off the coast of Sri Lanka.
The Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world's largest container line, complied with the request, and animal welfare groups said at the time if other companies followed suit, it could reduce ship strikes by 95 percent.
