An illustration of the University of Maine's Floating Concrete hull design from Energy News.com.
RODA Receives NOAA Fisheries Grant to Convene Synthesis of the Science Symposium on Fishing and Floating Offshore Wind Interactions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 14, 2021 – The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), a broad membership-based coalition of fishing industry associations and fishing companies, has received an additional $155,000 grant from NOAA Fisheries to conduct a second “Synthesis Of the Science” symposium on floating offshore wind interactions with fisheries. This funding builds upon the $150,000 grant the agency awarded to RODA in 2020 to conduct the first-of-its-kind symposium on the current science regarding fisheries and offshore wind interactions. The symposium was a great success, and this next iteration will continue to advance the agency, fishing industry, offshore wind energy developer, and public understanding of existing research and needs by specifically focusing on new floating offshore wind energy technology.
“We are delighted to continue our collaborative work identifying what we know, and don’t know, about this newer form of technology being proposed for deployment in highly productive fishing regions,” said Fiona Hogan, RODA’s Research Director. “Our first workshop held in October 2020 was well received and we’re excited to continue the conversation this year.”
This project will follow the structure of the first Synthesis of Science. RODA will work through the partnership to co-develop a much-needed summary of scientific knowledge, current research and monitoring efforts associated with floating turbine technology. This will result in a new resource for understanding the knowledge gaps and most important questions for further research. The effort will also highlight effective ways to harness the expertise of scientists and U.S. fishing communities towards the co-production of needed scientific knowledge.
To advance this knowledge and research summary, RODA will convene a workshop addressing a “synthesis of the science” of floating turbine technology jointly with NOAA Fisheries and other state, federal, academic, and private and public sector science experts. Topics covered by the workshop will likely include physical oceanographic factors, ecosystem effects, fisheries socioeconomics, and methods and approaches. This project is a key step toward jointly building regional fisheries and offshore science agendas in areas where floating wind technology is proposed.
“We are pleased to be a strong partner with RODA and to support its effort to identify the research we will need to build a unified fisheries and offshore wind science plan,” said Dr. Cisco Werner, Director of Scientific Programs and Chief Science Advisor for NOAA Fisheries.
Participants in the project are expected to include commercial and recreational fishermen, Tribal Nations, fishing industry representatives, NOAA Fisheries and BOEM experts, wind energy developers, federal fishery management councils, states, and other expert scientists from the U.S. and Europe.
RODA, NOAA Fisheries, and BOEM entered into an MOU in 2019 with the goal of collaborating on the science, research, monitoring, and process of offshore wind energy development in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. This project on floating wind development technology supports this broader agreement to work collaboratively. More broadly, the project will help local and regional fishing interests become better involved in the offshore wind development process, and ensure that the interests and concerns of fishermen are communicated effectively.
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