Offshore Wind Energy

Responsible development of offshore wind energy is critical to U.S. efforts to mitigate climate change, enable the renewable energy sector, and support a thriving Blue Economy.

The vast majority of development so far has occurred in the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. But new offshore wind energy areas are being proposed along the East Coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in Pacific waters. The White House has set a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 and 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind energy by 2035. Many states have set similar ambitious goals.

Offshore wind is a new use of our marine waters, requiring substantial scientific and regulatory review by NOAA Fisheries. This will ensure that new projects are compatible with other ocean uses, including commercial, recreational, and tribal fishing. It’s also critical to ensure that the planning, siting, and development of new projects do not harm fisheries, fishing communities, marine mammals, endangered species, and important habitats.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the lead federal agency responsible for offshore energy exploration and development in the United States. NOAA Fisheries is a consulting federal agency.

Our Role

NOAA Fisheries plays an important role in supporting the development of offshore wind energy. We help support responsible development by:

Providing baseline data and analysis on ocean conditions and affected marine resources
Consulting with BOEM and other federal agencies to meet the requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens Act, and Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
Helping federal agencies that conduct wind development activities meet requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act
Conducting research and monitoring to better understand the potential effects of offshore wind energy development on fish, shellfish, fisheries, protected resources, and their ecosystems
Providing BOEM, other federal agencies, states, tribes, and stakeholders with information on fisheries operations and the potential socioeconomic impacts of offshore wind projects on fishing communities

Collaboration With BOEM

We are collaborating with BOEM to implement a strategy to reduce the impacts of offshore wind energy development on our scientific surveys. Our long-term research surveys and data sets are essential for sustainably managing fisheries. They also aid in monitoring and assessing recovery and conservation programs for protected species and essential fish habitat.

Federal survey mitigation program

Efforts to mitigate impacts of offshore wind energy development on NOAA Fisheries’ surveys

Read the full Draft Federal Survey Mitigation Strategy

We also collaborated with BOEM on a strategy to minimize the effects of offshore wind development on endangered North Atlantic right whales and their habitat. The strategy identifies the agencies’ goals and key actions to continue to evaluate and mitigate the potential effects of offshore wind energy development on North Atlantic right whales and their habitat. It also builds on existing mitigation measures to protect North Atlantic right whales from the potential impacts of offshore wind development.

View the final Right Whale and Offshore Wind Strategy

Other Collaborations

In addition to our ongoing collaborations with BOEM, we work with a range of groups on emerging offshore wind energy development issues related to our mission. Many of our collaborations so far have focused on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, where offshore wind energy development has moved more quickly than in other regions. As new areas are proposed, we will continue to work with stakeholders as stewards of the nation’s ocean resources, their habitats, and the communities that rely on them.

Our collaborators include:

Bulletins

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Open Funding Opportunities

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Multimedia

NOAA Fisheries Video Gallery

Overcast day with mostly gray and silver tones. In the background at left, a line of 8 offshore windmills tower over the horizon. In the foreground, a small boat open-decked boat with a flat roof is silhouetted against a shining sea

A small fishing vessel near wind turbines. Credit: Bob Brewer on Unsplash

Podcast

Studying Sound in the Ocean to Prepare for Offshore Wind Development

New England/Mid-Atlantic

National

Color image taken during daylight from the upper deck of a research vessel, facing toward the rear of the vessel as it sails through a canal. Land is visible on each side of the canal, and the ship leaves a wake in the water. Two steel framed bridges are in the image. The ship has just passed under the bridge used by vehicles. The railroad bridge is in the distance.

View over the stern of the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow, exiting the Cape Cod Canal headed east toward Provincetown, Mass. at the beginning of Leg 3 of the 2021 Northeast Fisheries Science Center fall bottom trawl survey. The two bridges spanning the canal are used by trains (background) and vehicle traffic (foreground). Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Katelyn Depot.

Podcast

Evolving Science and Surveys in the Birthplace of NOAA Fisheries

New England/Mid-Atlantic

Protecting Marine Life

NOAA Fisheries' ongoing work supports responsible U.S. offshore wind energy development that avoids and minimizes risks to protected resources, habitats, and managed fisheries.

What We’re Doing

Conservation and Management Regulations

We are responsible for several regulatory processes that help reduce impacts to marine species and their habitats from human activities, including during offshore wind development.

Reviewing requests from offshore wind developers for Marine Mammal Protection Act incidental take authorizations
Conducting consultations under the Endangered Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens Act, and Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
Cooperating with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on National Environmental Policy Act requirements

We also provide recommendations to minimize the impacts of wind development on protected resources and essential fish habitats as part of the regulatory consultations process.

Science to Support Decisions

We provide the BOEM with the best available science on the interactions between offshore wind energy projects and protected resources, habitats, and managed species. Examples of research efforts that can help inform offshore wind siting, construction, and operations include:

We are particularly interested in understanding how wind projects may affect endangered species that live in or migrate through offshore wind areas, such as the North Atlantic right whale. We are investigating how they use habitats in proposed wind energy areas and how offshore wind developments could impact their population.

Advancing the Science

NOAA Fisheries and BOEM have developed a passive acoustic monitoring framework. It outlines minimum procedures, system requirements, and other components for effectively designing and implementing passive acoustic monitoring. This will help wind developers reduce the impact of offshore wind energy projects on marine species. The national framework applies before, during, and after project construction.

In collaboration with the Regional Offshore Science Alliance, we also worked with researchers, wind developers, and state and federal agencies to develop an offshore wind project monitoring framework and guidelines. This could help developers nationwide effectively characterize, evaluate, and monitor the potential impacts of their proposed projects on marine life and fishing operations. The guidelines will also help ensure that the data collected through project-specific monitoring efforts can be integrated into regional scientific surveys.

Through research efforts and NOAA’s Ocean Noise Strategy, we work to better understand how marine species use sound and the potential impacts of man-made noise on the underwater environment, including from offshore wind energy development.

Offshore Wind Development's Potential Impacts

Scientists around the world are still investigating the potential impacts of offshore wind energy development on marine life. Site assessment, construction, and operations could interact with marine life on the seabed, in the water, and at the surface. For example, offshore wind energy projects could:

Increase ocean noise, which could affect the behaviors of fish, whales, and other species
Introduce electro-magnetic fields that impact navigation, predator detection, communication, and the ability for fish and shellfish to find mates
Change existing habitats by altering local or regional hydrodynamics
Create a “reef effect” where marine life cluster around the hard surfaces of wind developments
Impact organism life cycle stages, including larval dispersal and spawning
Change species composition, abundance, distribution, and survival rates
Increase vessel traffic, which could lead to more vessel strikes
Release contaminants that can be consumed or absorbed by marine life

Offshore wind is a new use of our marine waters, requiring substantial scientific and regulatory review. We are committed to careful review and use of the best available scientific information in satisfying the requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act for offshore wind energy projects.

Fishing Community Impacts

NOAA Fisheries is committed to helping improve the compatibility of offshore wind energy with fishing, aquaculture, and other ocean uses. The construction and operation of wind turbines could impact commercial, recreational, and tribal fishing in a variety of ways, including:

Displacing fishermen from traditional fishing areas
Changing the distribution, abundance, and species composition of fish in an area
Causing economic losses
Increasing vessel traffic and competition for support services on shore
Disrupting vessel radar systems
Damaging or destroying fishing gear
Reducing safety at sea from increased vessel traffic and navigation challenges

In particular, fishermen using trawl, dredge, and other mobile gear may have to significantly change their operations to avoid interacting with turbines and underwater cables. Longline, gillnet, and fixed gear fisheries could also be displaced by offshore wind projects or affected by ecosystem and navigation changes triggered by the operations.

What We’re Doing

We provide data and information to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on historic fishing operations and coastal communities' reliance on fishing operations. We also provide information on the potential socioeconomic impacts of offshore wind projects on the commercial and for-hire fishing industries.

For example, we developed or provided data to several resources to support responsible offshore wind energy development in the Atlantic:

We worked with the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance and other partners on a peer-reviewed report to improve understanding of existing science and data gaps related to offshore wind energy interactions with fish and fisheries. We are also working with RODA on questions specific to new floating offshore wind energy technology.

Offshore Wind Energy