The California current ecosystem is home to a great diversity and abundance of marine mammals, including whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. Offshore wind energy development could affect marine mammals in a variety of ways, including physical interactions with associated vessel traffic, entanglement, displacement from foraging or migratory habitat, and impacts associated with port activities and redevelopment. (See also Fact Sheet Impacts to Marine Mammals from Pre-Construction Surveys and Fact Sheet Impacts from Noise).
This is a part of a series of seven fact sheets summarizing existing science on the environmental effects of offshore wind farms to address common concerns raised in California’s communities. This fact sheet underwent a scientific review process by 11 experts from academia, consulting, and government. It is intended as a resource for legislators, agencies, local government, and other policymakers as they field questions from the public.
Fact Sheets in the Overall Series:
- Understanding Potential Environmental Impacts with Existing Research
- Impacts to Marine Mammals from Pre-construction Surveys
- Impacts to Seabirds
- Impacts to Whales and Other Marine Mammals
- Impacts to Fish and Seafloor Habitats
- Impacts from Noise
- Impacts from Electromagnetic Fields