NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that comments are being sought by Friday, May 6 on a Draft Federal Survey Mitigation Strategy developed by NMFS and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in an effort to address the impacts of offshore wind energy development on NMFS surveys. Although the Draft Strategy is initially focused on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, NMFS said it will serve as a template for mitigation efforts across the country.
NMFS said that the Draft Strategy “underscores our shared commitment to advance offshore wind energy production responsibly while protecting marine biodiversity and promoting cooperative ocean use.”
NMFS Asst. Admin. Janet Coit added in part that “[s]ustaining 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.”
