April 10, 2023 — A final peer-reviewed report synthesizing the current state of science on the interactions between fisheries and offshore wind is now available online. The report was developed through a partnership of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). It also summarizes the results of a first-of-its-kind symposium that helped gather information for the report.
“We are pleased to have been a part of this project, and look forward to working with our partners on its next iteration, a series of workshops focused on fisheries and floating offshore wind energy,” said Andy Lipsky, who oversees the wind energy team at the science center. Lipsky is also a co-author on the recently issued report.
The Synthesis of the Science: Fisheries and Offshore Wind project enhanced understanding of existing science and data gaps related to offshore wind interactions with fish and fisheries. It included a workshop in 2020 as well as the report.
“This collaboration was a great success and truly helped us as we developed a joint survey mitigation strategy with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,” said Lipsky. “It also helps us define and begin developing the new kinds of monitoring required to continue our long-term data streams on ocean life as well as needed research on how offshore wind energy changes marine habitats and fisheries.”