The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has formed a joint strategy to address potential impacts of offshore wind development on scientific surveys of fisheries.
BOEM has launched the joint strategy with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.
The Federal Survey Mitigation Strategy underscores the agencies’ shared commitment to the Biden-Harris Administration’s clean energy goals of responsibly advancing offshore wind energy production while protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean co-use.
NOAA Fisheries’ surveys are essential for sustainably managing American fisheries.
For 150 years, the agency’s scientists have collected survey data that form the basis of the science-based management of America’s federal fisheries, support the protection and recovery of marine mammals and endangered and threatened species, and increase understanding and conservation of coastal and marine habitats and ecosystems for future generations.
“This joint strategy will help ensure the quality of NOAA’s fisheries surveys and data are maintained while the nation develops offshore wind energy,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and deputy NOAA administrator.
“Our fisheries surveys allow NOAA to monitor important trends for individual species over time, with the broader goals of understanding marine ecosystems, particularly in the face of climate change, and supporting sustainable fisheries.”
During the environmental review of the first offshore wind energy project on the US Outer Continental Shelf, BOEM and NOAA Fisheries identified major adverse impacts on surveys conducted in the Northeast region.
In response, a draft survey mitigation strategy was developed and made available for public comment earlier this year.
The finalised strategy identifies the essential components of mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy development on the surveys.
The five goals of the strategy include mitigating impacts of offshore wind energy development on NOAA Fisheries surveys and evaluating and integrating, where feasible, wind energy development monitoring studies with NOAA Fisheries surveys.
The strategy-while focused on New England and the Mid-Atlantic-will serve as a model to address the impacts of offshore wind on NOAA Fisheries surveys in other regions.
Nationally, NOAA Fisheries assesses the status of approximately 450 fishery stocks, 200 marine mammal stocks, and 165 threatened and endangered species (recognising that some marine mammals are also endangered).
These assessments rely on more than 50 long-term, standardized surveys, many of which have been ongoing for more than 30 years.