Environmental advocates push for offshore wind projects in NJ despite whale deaths

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Some environmental advocates in New Jersey are pushing for continued support for offshore wind projects, despite accusations that they've killed multiple whales that have washed up on the shoreline.

Action News was at a meeting on the Atlantic City boardwalk on Tuesday morning.

Some lawmakers at the local, state and federal levels have called for a temporary pause in ocean floor preparation work, but environmentalists argue there is no proven connection between offshore windmills and the whale deaths.

SEE ALSO: Environmental activists demand investigation into whale deaths at the Jersey Shore

"Injuries and hemorrhaging were observed on the head and thoracic region, as well as along the right side and the pectoral flipper," the center said in a statement. "These findings will be confirmed through laboratory analysis in the coming weeks."

Instead, they blame climate change and changing ocean patterns.

Marine animal welfare officials say the most recent whale that washed up in Brigantine was killed by a ship.

According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there have been more than 170 reports of whales washing up along the coast since 2016. About two dozen of them were in New Jersey.