The ultra-high-decibel sonar emitted by wind industry survey vessels during wind farm construction deafens marine mammals, so does piledriving: the repetitive, percussive pounding of the columns that support the turbines (see above); the piles are 8m in diameter and over 100m long – 30-60m of which gets punched into the seabed.
The offshore wind industry is killing whales and other marine mammals by a variety of means, including collisions with boat traffic in areas where there previously was none. Whales and other marine mammals – deafened in the manner described above – become disorientated, calves become separated from their mothers and prone to fatal or mortal collisions with surface vessels – particularly those used in the construction of offshore turbines, cabling and other infrastructure.
Further, confused and disorientated whales are driven away from their natural feeding grounds by the noise generated underwater by sonic mapping and turbine construction and into areas where food is scarce, leaving them hungry, prone to disease, and liable to end up beached in shallow water.
The wind industry has been killing an increasing number of whales, dolphins and porpoises all along America’s Atlantic coast for years now – and doing so with complete impunity, thanks to US Federal government authorisations euphemistically called the ‘Incidental Harassment Authorization’.
The underwater cacophony created during offshore construction is laid out in Michael Shellenberger’s documentary Thrown To The Wind (see the video below) and this post: US Govt Lying About Offshore Wind Industry’s Whale Slaughter
Now the wind industry wants to repeat the slaughter in Australia, targeting its southern coastline, including the south-west coast of Western Australia and Victoria where, as detailed in the 2nd article, local Aboriginal groups are furious about the damage the proposed offshore wind industry will cause to whales and other marine mammals.
Federal government proposes wind farm in the middle of a whale migration route
News.com
Emma Kirk
9 April 2024
In what is believed to be a world first, the federal government has proposed developing an offshore wind farm in the middle of a whale super highway off Western Australia’s southwest coast.
Each year, tens of thousands of whales use the water in and around Geographe Bay on their annual migration to Antarctica.
The bay is described as a pristine marine ecosystem off Bunbury, about 168km south of Perth, and stretches 98km along the coastline to Cape Naturaliste, between Dunsborough and Yallingup.
The area is one of WA’s most popular tourist destinations and recreational playgrounds, with endless sandy beaches, turquoise waters and an abundance of marine life.
More than 30,000 humpback whales pass through Geographe Bay on their way south as they head towards their feeding grounds.
Endangered southern right whales use the bay to rest and nurse their calves.
The community is in disbelief that an offshore wind farm has been proposed in Geographe Bay and say there has been a lack of information and consultation from authorities.
Geographe Marine Research have monitored the movement of whales through the bay for years and believe a wind farm would be better located on land.
They recently started tagging blue whales in the area and have recorded whales outside the bay area using an acoustic data log, inside the proposed wind farm zone.
Geographe Bay Marine research board member Rodney Peterson said their concern was that the wind farm would be the world’s first in a whale migration route.
“No one can predict how the whales will react to that,” he said.
“It wasn’t that long ago that we nearly wiped whales off the planet.
“The blue whales and southern right populations haven’t come back like the humpbacks.
“We need to see more details about the wind farm and the area that is being proposed.
“The government has not come forward with any details and that is what’s lacking.
“They just need to come forward with research to show why this is a good area, although if they did the research, they would probably find it is not a good area.
“We nearly killed all these whales now we are going to do this to their migration path.”
In February, the federal government started seeking community feedback on the proposed wind farm area, which could span about 7674 sqkm
While the project is still in the early stages, if the area is approved by the federal and state governments, it could be located 20km to 70km off the populated coastline.
One of the proponents looking at the project is Copenhagen Energy, a Danish renewable energy developer, which is looking at up to 200 wind turbines operating in the proposed area.
Copenhagen Energy has submitted an application to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water based on their initial environmental, social and economic studies.
A self-proclaimed ocean rat and fourth generation diver Kyle Treloar said he “just loved the water” and shed a tear when he learnt about the proposed wind farm.
He started a group called Save Our Beloved Geographe Bay for the community to share information about the wind farm and images from beneath the sea because many people were unaware of the marine life that lived there.
“Some people are absolutely terrified, it is a way of life, it is business and tourism,” he said.
“We still shake our heads that this is a thing.
“I don’t know how you can put industrialisation over a pristine ecosystem the last thing we need is big spinning structures.”
Mr Treloar has been mapping the underwater environment to give people a better perspective of the marine ecosystem off the coast.
He said they had picked the biggest reef and coral system south of Mandurah.
“The government is willing to risk all this for something that benefits industry,” he said.
“The turbines proposed are 280m tall and 20km away, they have to put the turbines straight over the coral which has a lot of people upset.
“They have done no environmental impact (study), they just picked an area and haven’t looked at what’s at stake.
“When you talk about people’s recreational activities, the thought of losing that is diabolic.”
WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam said she shared community concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the project and believed the consultation process so far has raised more questions than answers.
“The offshore wind farms will have a profound effect on our beautiful coastline and yet there are still many unanswered questions about the full impact it will have on the health and wellbeing of residents living in nearby coastal communities but also on whales, migratory birds and our fish stock,” she said.
“The recent community consultation sessions provided no constructive information or reassurance.
“Residents deserve open and transparent information about the impact of the project and it is not unreasonable to expect the federal government to be able to provide details by this stage of the planning process.
“I have met with southwest locals who are understandably outraged by the process so far, and I will continue to work alongside them to ensure this proposal does not go ahead.”
News.com
‘Undermines our sovereignty’: Custodians speak out against wind farm zone
The Standard
Jessica Greenan
7 April 2024
The custodians of an area of sea country marked as an offshore wind farm zone off the south-west coast say the decision has shown “disregard for our voices”.
It comes as both the Gunditj Mirring and Eastern Maar Aboriginal corporations expressed their disappointment at the announcement made by Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen on March 6.
In a statement, Gunditj Mirring said there’d been a “complete lack of appropriate and meaningful consultation between the commonwealth government and the Gunditjmara community”.
“By excluding us from the decision-making process, the government has not only demonstrated a disregard for our voices, perspectives and rights, it has overlooked an opportunity to engage and learn the true value and history of our sea country from its traditional owners,” it said.
“Whilst GMTOAC supports the agenda for environmental protection and climate change, this decision undermines our sovereignty as land rights holders.”
The statement said the corporation had written two letters and a submission opposing the designated area and had highlighted the need for further independent research to assess the cultural and environmental impacts of such a designation.
Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation said in a statement it supported decarbonising traditional energy sources and understood the critical role it played in combating climate change.
“However we firmly believe that the pursuit of decarbonisation must not come at the expense of marine life that we are inextricably linked to,” it said.
The statement said the corporation had concerns about the impacts on the migratory paths, feeding grounds and nursery areas of the “highly endangered and culturally significant Koontapool (Southern Right whale) species that utilise the oceans and coastlines of south-west Victoria, as well as the globally significant ecosystems that support Koontapool”.
The statement said the declared area was made on the back of preliminary assessments rather than comprehensive environmental studies which was “concerning”.
“We believe that the environmental studies should not have been completed before the declaration of the area not at stage five as per the eight-stage process.”
It said the declaration should have been more comprehensive and the process of declaration should have deployed the services and involved the independent offshore regulator NOPSEMA (National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority).
Federal member for Wannon Dan Tehan said it was “beggars belief” Energy Minister Chris Bowen had not done the appropriate consultation with Gunditj Mirring.
“Given this failure to consult he should immediately rip up the declared zone and start the process again,” he said.”
The Standard
You can sign your name to a petition to the Parliament of Australia to stop all offshore wind turbine proposals and construction here (closes 20 May 2024)
https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN6098/sign
STOP THESE THINGS 
True environmentalists would not have let this happen – these days these so called environmentalists are nothing more than political junkies – wanting people to believe they are truly concerned about the environment.
They tip there cap at any political party that appears to given them a chance to blow their own trumpet just as long as they support the Politicians fanciful and devastating notions.
In return the Government is getting what is wants without having to justify their actions to or listen to the whole community.
People may now be wondering why they voted this crowd in because they are not keeping the safety of our environments healthy, alive and growing for all time.
True Environmentalist should always have been independent to be able to prevent harm to the environment. What is happening is not only damaging human beings but the whole world environment.
There are some true environmentalist left and there are some who have now seen for themselves what others have been saying for years – these forms of energy production are dangerous and destructive to the whole environment
Please everyone who feels for the future of our world keep calling out those who are political junkies and unable to recognise what is staring them in the face – these forms of energy production no matter where they are ‘planted’ WILL AND DO DO HARM.
Remember the days when environmentalists would have railed against these wildlife killing machines? Now, it’s just the mentalists who are running things