ORTLEY BEACH – Authorities are currently investigating the death of a porpoise that washed ashore by the Sixth Avenue beach Tuesday morning.
Police said the porpoise was discovered around 7:30 a.m. near the property that formerly held Joey Harrison’s Surf Club. The animal was removed from the beach by the afternoon.
The mammal was identified as a harbor porpoise, a specific species similar to a dolphin. Another porpoise was found in late January washed up at Island Beach State Park.
At this time, Marine Mammal Stranding Center is expected to perform a necropsy to determine its cause of death.
The deaths have alarmed communities who are already distraught about the numerous whale strandings that have been occurring the past couple months.
Concerned citizens are rallying together to halt any offshore wind activity off the Jersey Shore. A petition created by Protect Our Coast NJ had gained more than 480,000 signatures. The group plans to voice their opinions tomorrow at the State House in Trenton, with the goal to hand deliver their petition to the State Legislature and Governor Murphy.
“We demand action from elected officers to stop the industrialization of our ocean,” the group wrote.
Many environmental officials have brushed off the concerns about acoustic signals affecting marine mammals. It’s argued that the radiofrequency spectrum used in ocean floor mapping research is unlikely to affect the communication abilities of these marine mammals.
