Michael Moore has spent decades studying North Atlantic right whales. He’s seen somewhere around 150 of them. It’s a feat, given that now there are just about 360 left in the world.
But the veterinarian, author, and scientist emeritus from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution had never seen an offshore wind farm up close — until last week.
“Look at them. All out in neat little rows,” he said, standing at the rear of a 53-foot charter boat that offered a closeup view of construction on Vineyard Wind, 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.
About half of the planned 62 turbines are fully constructed, reaching more than 250 meters into the sky. When the boat slowed down to pass beneath one of the turbines, Moore was awestruck by the length of a blade.
“Right whales are 40 to 50 feet,” he said. “So you can stretch seven right whales along the length of one of these blades.”
The trip came at a moment when federal regulators and environmentalists are grappling with uncertainty over how offshore wind farms could affect the critically endangered whale species.
There’s a lot at stake: plans are under way to erect thousands of turbines just off the U.S. East Coast, and right whales, which often swim through the same waters, are facing extinction, with fishing gear, boat collisions, and climate change being the primary threats.
Moore is among the many biologists, ecologists and other scientists harboring complicated feelings: he fears the possible risks offshore wind poses to right whales, but he wants to be open-minded to an industry that promises to move the world away from fossil fuels.
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As the boat weaved between turbines, Moore tilted his head back to take in the sheer size of one. His questions about right whales and offshore wind loomed large.
He mused aloud: “It’s questions of, at the local level for each turbine, is it a significant change in the feeding ecology for these animals? There’s concerns about the blades stealing energy from the water surface — is that significant, or is it high enough that it’s not an issue?
He continued listing open questions. “Are we seeing a benefit in terms of biodiversity with regards to some kind of reef-type function at the base of each turbine?” And he settled finally on this: “I think the most tangible concern is whether vessel traffic is increased to put these things in the water and get them running and lay the cables and so on. So one can only hope that there will not be an increase in vessel strikes.”
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Moore’s ambivalence was palpable, even as he acknowledged an informal scientific consensus. “The general sense I get from colleagues involved in this is that the concerns are acceptable and the net gain from climate change reduction is appropriate.”
Climate change reduction is key: the Department of Energy found that offshore wind farms emit about 40 times less carbon than natural gas to produce the same amount of energy, and about 90 times less than coal. As long as offshore wind developers commit to prioritizing safety of right whales during building and operation, the animals could ultimately benefit from a habitat less impacted by climate change.
But to Moore, is enough being done to ensure right whales’ overall safety?
Again, his answer was deliberate and considered — and uneasy. “Well, there are observer programs, and acoustic program, speed limits, and seasonal changes with regards to when the whales are supposed to be there or not. And that’s all laudable and appropriate. But right whales tend not to read the books, and they can show up at any time, at any place, and they can be quite cryptic. You know, all it takes for one right whale is one bad event.”
So far, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, there have been “no known links between large whale deaths and ongoing offshore wind activities.”
It’s a comforting thought to Moore. As the boat returned from the wind farm and pulled slowly into Falmouth Harbor, it was a moment to take one last question: any final thoughts?
“I think the way that wind has been pilloried for humpback and right whale deaths is inappropriate and damaging in terms of allowing there to be focus on the things that really matter, you know?” He said, and continued, “My unease is that it’s another layer of industrialization at the broadest level of the coastal ocean. And that can’t be good. And so there needs to be some real justification for the added industrialization to make it sit right with me. And there may be, but I don’t know enough to say that.”
In an agreement letter signed by Vineyard Wind, National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Conservation Law Foundation, Vineyard Wind says the protection of the North Atlantic right whale is a top priority.
People like Moore just hope the offshore wind industry as a whole will commit to the same.
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