In a pioneering collaboration, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have forged a cooperative agreement to conduct an unprecedented study on fish behavior in response to offshore wind turbine installations. The study, set to take place at the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) research site, will utilize fine-scale positioning technology to investigate the impact of construction activities on fish populations. Located 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, CVOW, developed and operated by Dominion Energy, is the second operational offshore wind farm in the United States.
Over the next six years, marine scientists Kate Wilke and Brendan Runde from TNC, in collaboration with NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, will delve into the intricacies of how local fish populations react to offshore wind development. The research includes an examination of fish responses to construction noise, the role of new vertical structures as fish habitat, and the interaction of fish with buried transmission cables. Additionally, the study will monitor the ambient soundscape in the area, documenting changes during the expansion of the CVOW site.
The study's findings, expected to yield at least two publications, will be publicly accessible and contribute valuable insights for environmental impact assessments of future offshore wind projects. Furthermore, the research will inform the management of such projects, particularly regarding the value of turbines as vertical habitats, with implications for fisheries management, monitoring protocols, and surveys.
The Mid-Atlantic Seascape, a bustling marine ecosystem and industrial hub, is home to nearly 50 million people and diverse ocean-dependent industries. The study comes at a crucial time, with the U.S. Atlantic Ocean currently hosting seven operational offshore wind turbines and plans for the installation of over 3,000 new turbines by 2030.
