To support the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of advancing offshore wind energy production, NOAA Fisheries and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) developed a Draft Federal Survey Mitigation Strategy. It addresses anticipated impacts of offshore wind energy development on NOAA Fisheries’ scientific surveys.
According to an official report from the two agencies, “During the environmental review of the first offshore wind energy project in federal waters under the National Environmental Policy Act, BOEM and NOAA Fisheries identified major adverse impacts to the NOAA Fisheries surveys conducted in the Northeast region.” Due to the inherent problems with implementing trawl surveys inside these vast turbine areas proposed along the coast, NOAA Fisheries and BOEM are working on development of a mitigation program to deal with future impacts to fisheries surveys.
As recently reported in The Fishing Wire, the joint strategy underscores a shared commitment between the two federal agencies to advance offshore wind energy production responsibly while protecting marine biodiversity and promoting cooperative ocean use.
“NOAA Fisheries’ surveys are essential for the sustainable management of our nation’s fisheries, recovery of protected resources, conservation of habitats and ecosystems, and understanding the impacts of climate change,” the release at The Fishing Wire stated, adding “The implementation strategy identifies the essential components of mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy development on the surveys, as well as actions to accomplish the goals and objectives of mitigation.”
While this initial strategy focuses on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, NOAA Fisheries and BOEM say the work will eventually serve as a model to address the impacts of offshore wind on NOAA Fisheries surveys nationwide.
“This strategy will help maintain the quality of our surveys and data, while also facilitating the development of offshore wind energy,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “Sustaining our surveys allows NOAA Fisheries to monitor trends with species over time, with the broader goal of understanding marine ecosystems, particularly in the face of a rapidly changing climate.”
Nationally, NOAA Fisheries assesses the status of approximately 450 fishery stocks, 200 marine mammal stocks, and 165 threatened and endangered species (some of which are marine mammals). These assessments rely on more than 50 long-term, standardized surveys, many of which have been ongoing for more than 30 years, which ultimately provide the basis for setting Annual Catch Limits.
BOEM is the lead federal agency responsible for offshore energy exploration and development in the United States, while NOAA Fisheries is a consulting federal agency responsible for coastal fisheries.
