$1.1M Awarded for Regional Wind Farm Studies
Rhode Island, Massachusetts and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced grants worth $1.1 million for four regional studies (versus site specific studies) that will collect data vital to the development of offshore wind and fishing. INSPIRE Environmental, Newport, in conjunction with the New England Aquarium and Standard Approaches for Acoustic and Imagery Data, will use acoustic telemetry to study highly migratory species. The initiative will include the acoustic tagging and tracking of species such as tuna and sharks at popular recreational fishing spots in wind farm areas. The study aims to provide new baseline data on highly migratory species enabling ongoing assessment of any impacts (negative or positive) of offshore wind on these species and associated recreational fishing.
