Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Marine Affairs

Department

Marine Affairs

First Advisor

David Bidwell

Abstract

The Biden-Harris administration implemented a goal to achieve 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030 (US Department of Interior, 2021). The rapid increase in offshore wind activity on the East Coast, combined with NOAA’s declared unusual mortality event in 2016/2017, has sparked a discussion about offshore wind being a potential cause of whale deaths. This paper aims to analyze the discourse on offshore wind and whales through a content analysis of Facebook comments. Facebook pages from Massachusetts (The New England Aquarium), Rhode Island (Rhode Island DEM), New York (The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society), New Jersey (Marine Mammal Stranding Center), and Virginia (Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center) report and document whale strandings and deaths in their respective states. Comments under images of dead and beached whales related to offshore wind were collected and analyzed using inductive thematic coding and the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF) to highlight areas in which the risks of offshore wind to whales are amplified.

A total of 662 comments were coded and further analyzed for areas of code occurrences and high volumes of discussion. Findings illustrate that the majority of commenters are either unsure about offshore wind’s involvement in whale deaths (50% of collected comments) or believe offshore wind played a part in the whale deaths (39% of collected comments). The thematic analysis found that discussions around offshore wind and whales involve political elements, calling out specific political figures and highlighting the bipartisan nature of this topic. The analysis revealed various interpretations of NOAA’s statements and harassment permits. Sonar testing remains a concern regarding offshore wind, specifically its effects on marine mammals. Additionally, there is a lack of trust from commenters regarding donations and grants received by stranding organizations from offshore wind companies, with suspicions about the money being used with bad intent. Further research via social media is necessary to fully comprehend this discussion, but this work lays the foundation for future content analyses to increase understanding around this discussion.

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