What’s going on with New Jersey whales?

The changing behavioral and feeding patterns of whales of the New Jersey shore have been known to scientists for decades but recently the issue is brought to public attention in an unexpected political association. This is what we know:
– The traditional main food of whales is krill, a small crustacen similar to what many of us know locally as “grass shrimp”, although the species are scientifically different.
– Krill are among the most abundant species on earth. But human harvesting of krill has increased sharply in the past decade as food for the growing aquaculture industry.
– Water warming changes might also be contributing to a decline in krill population.
– Along the New Jersey shore, whales feed on menhaden, that we know as “bunker”.
– Menhaden schools have rebounded close to the New Jersey shorelines.
– New Jersey boat captains report more whales feeding close to shore now.
– NOAA believes increased that strikes between ships and whales is responsible for increased deaths along shore.
– Political groups tried to exploit public ignorance of the issue to associate local whale deaths at the shore to the wind energy industry when no factual relationship exists.