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 METHODS INCLUDING AN OPEN COD-END VIDEO TRAWL, A TOWED OFF-BOTTOM OPTICAL SURVEY VEHICLE, AND ANCHORED AND ROPELESS STATIONARY CAMERA SYSTEMS. SURVEYS WILL BE CONDUCTED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER WIND FARM CONSTRUCTION TO 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. 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 OFF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND. IN ADDITION, AUTOMATED DETECTORS FOR TWENTY-FOUR FISH AND INVERTEBRATE SPECIES, CHOSEN BECAUSE OF THEIR ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE TO THE REGION, WILL BE DEVELOPED USING THE IMAGERY COLLECTED DURING THE SURVEYS. PROJECT EFFORTS WILL RESULT IN A NEW METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR MONITORING MARINE 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 SCHEMATICS FOR ANY NEW GEAR DESIGNS.$3,543,697
· FY2022 · Department of Energy