Surveying commercial fish species and habitat in wind farm areas using a suite of non-lethal survey methods

PIs: Liese Siemann, Tasha O’Hara, Farrell Davis & Luisa Garcia, Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF)
Start Year: 2022 | Duration: 5 years
Partners: DOE, BOEM, CFF, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Kitware, Inc., Atlantic Capes Fisheries, Viking Village, Empire Fisheries, Eastern Fisheries, Quinn Fisheries, Nordic Inc., Arnie’s Fisheries

Project Abstract:

This research project is designed to evaluate the impacts of offshore wind development on commercial fish species and benthic habitats and communities using a suite of state-of-the-art, non-lethal survey tools including an open cod-end video trawl, a towed off-bottom optical survey vehicle, and anchored and ropeless stationary camera systems. Through use of multiple non-lethal optical survey methods, this project will provide a holistic view of the habitats and communities that may be impacted by offshore wind development. By combining a mix of well-established tools like the HabCam vehicle and new technologies like ropeless camera systems, we will minimize risk to the project’s overall success while advancing efforts to create new and innovative survey methods that can be used in wind energy lease areas after construction, meeting a need for fishery-independent assessment methods that can be used year round and safely the presence of protected species. It will provide data on changes in commercial fish and marine invertebrate abundance and distribution, and the relationship of both to habitat changes, the presence of new structures (turbine bases), and changing underwater noise levels. This research will also address the challenges of offshore wind development competition with other ocean needs like fishery-independent surveys used for management. We have partnered with two highly experienced groups to successfully complete the project. Scientists from the Stokesbury laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School of Marine Science and Technology will conduct video trawl surveys using a system in development since 2013; Their video trawl has been used to survey groundfish stocks in wind energy areas and on important scallop grounds. Automated detectors for imagery from optical surveys will be developed in collaboration with Kitware, Inc., the developers of Video and Image Analytics for Marine Environments (VIAME), an open-source system for analysis of underwater imagery created with initial support from the NOAA Automated Image Analysis Strategic Initiative. End of project goals include a completed methodological framework for monitoring commercial fish species in wind farms using optical surveys, including preferred survey designs, freely available automated detectors and image sets for training new machine learning algorithms, and design schematics/technical drawings for any new gear designs.