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Vincent G. Guida and the BOEM Benthic Habitat TeamUS DOC, NOAA, NMFS, NEFSC

J.J. Howard LaboratoryHighlands (Sandy Hook), NJ

NOAA FISHERIES SERVICE

NOAA

Science, Service, Stewardship

Contact: Vincent.Guida@noaa.gov SDG

Fisheries Habitats and Offshore Wind Development:

What Should We be Watching for?

Fisheries Habitats and Offshore Wind Development:

What Should We be Watching for?

Vincent G. Guida, Amy Drohan, Donna Johnson, Jennifer McHenry, Heather Welch, Victoria

Kentner, Jonathan Brink, DeMond Timmons, and Erick Estela-Gomez

NOAA NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science CenterJ.J. Howard Laboratory (Sandy Hook)

Highlands, New Jersey

This Reportis based upon work performed by the NEFSC Habitat Team for the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Manage-ment (BOEM).

https://www.boem.gov/espis/5/5647.pdf

QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS1.Will Offshore Wind Energy development affect

Marine Habitats?

2.What are Marine Habitats and what is their significance?

3.What Habitats are likely to be affected?

4.How might this affect other ocean uses, especially fisheries?

5.Where do we go from here?

BOEM Wind Energy Areas circa 2017 Total WEA acreage = the area of the State of Connecticut!

CT

Extended Mid-Atlantic Bight WEA

1. Will Offshore Wind Energy development affect Marine Habitats?

Vince’s Answer: It is impossible to avoid having effects on Marine Habitats with a project this large.

Not an official NOAA statement

It’s where species live, but can be treated from two related, but different viewpoints:

Autecology Viewpoint: Defined on the basis of where a particular species of interest finds what it needs to survive and reproduce, Example: EFH definition of “Cod Habitat”.

Landscape Ecology Viewpoint: Defined on the basis of discrete area where physical and biological conditions provide support for the various species that live there, Example: CMECS definition of “Muddy Sand Bottom Habitat”.

TWO DEFINITIONS OF HABITAT

Autecology Viewpoint: Cod EFH

Landscape Ecology Viewpoint: Muddy Sand Bottom

2. What are Marine Habitats and what is their significance?

Vince’s Answer: Clearly, if marine species depend on their habitats (by either definition) for survival and reproduction, short-term survival, distribution, behavior, and stock size will be influenced by changes in habitats.

MARINE HABITAT ISSUES1. Disturbance of bottom topography,

sediments, and biotic communities

2. Creation of new hard substrate structures where there were none before

3. Underwater noise from construction and increased maritime traffic, electric fields

4. Changes in fishing patterns: increased pressure on habitats outside of Wind Energy Areas, changes in economics

(not an exhaustive list!)

Apr 11 Jul 20 Oct 28

ISO-THERMAL

ISO-THERMAL

THERMALLY STRATIFIED

Annual Water Temperature Cycle

Max. Stratification Late Aug – Early Sep

Jan 01

Day of the Yearmodified from SAMP Ch. 2

Seasonal Importance of Fishes in RIMA WEA by Numbers

Fraction of total numerical catch represented above – COLD: 98%, WARM: 99%Additional species (not shown) - COLD: 26, WARM: 19

Seasonal Importance of Fishes in Hudson South WEA by Numbers

3352

Martha’s Vineyard

Nantucket

MA & RIMA WEAs

Rhode Island Sound

Block Island

Buzzards Bay

RIMA WEA

~165,000 acres

MA WEA

~750,000 acres

MA WEA Sediment Distribution from grab samples

Gravel Sand Mud

DETAIL MAP

RIMA & MA Wind Energy Areas: Topography

RIMA & MA Wind Energy Areas: Topography Detail

Hudson South

Hudson North Block

Based on NOAA, NCEI 3 arc-second bathymetric data

NYSERDA WEST

NY Offshore Wind: BOEM and NYSERDA blocks

Maryland WEA Bathymetry

Reduced Footprint

Some Criteria for Vulnerability Consideration:

1. Managed species: there is no mandate to protect non-managed species on an individual basis unless perhaps they are proven to be essential for ecosystem integrity,

AND

2. Species that are habitat-limited by relatively rare habitat types (e.g. structured bottom types),

OR

3. Species with an immobile life stage: mobile species can move out of the way,

AND

4. Species that are “habitat engineers”, creating habitats for managed species.

Cod caught in the last 14 years

OCS-A-0500

Goode 1884

MA WEA

RIMA WEA

Black Sea Bass Caught in the Last 14 years

http://www.vishandel.nethttp://www.vishandel.net

Shellfish caught in the last 14 years

Shellfish caught in the last 14 years

http://www.vishandel.net

Wikipedia

Longfin Inshore Squid, Doryteuthis pealeii, formerly Loligo pealeii

Longfin Inshore Squid Egg MopNOAA: Teachers at Sea blog

Aboard FSV Henry B. Bigelow, August 2015

Longfin squid egg mops caught in August, 2016

Vince’s Answer: Atlantic cod (MA & RIMA), Black sea bass (all WEAs), Sea scallops (all WEAs), Ocean quahog & Surf clam (all WEAs), Longfin squid (NY: original & extension, possibly also RIMA & MA)

Not an official NOAA statement

3. What Habitats are likely to be affected?

FISHERIES IMPACTS• Loss to shellfisheries probably minor and temporary

• Temporary disruption of spawning activities?

• Disruption of juvenile cod and black sea bass refuge habitats, fish & squid spawning behavior? …depends upon exact location of wind installation and sensitivity.

• Creation of new black sea bass or cod habitat? …depends upon design of wind turbine installations.

• Loss of access by fisheries industry, especially draggers? ….displacement or reduction in fishing activities? ….depends on design and spacing of turbines, ability of fishing industry to negotiate and adapt.

Vince’s Answer: Lots of possibilities, mostly speculative. Experimental work done or in progress for some, e.g. noise, EMF, but we still won’t be able to predict fully…scaling up effects is too complex.

Not an official NOAA statement

4. How might this affect other ocean uses, especially fisheries?

Vince’s Answer: Proceed with the best information we have. Keep communications open, think adaptively, develop a unified monitoring program sensitive enough to detect subtle changes and smart enough to determine their causes.

Not an official NOAA statement

5. Where do we go from here?

THE TEAM: DECEMBER 2017