Washington, DC – The Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) announced today the launch of its Regional Research Program, with a Request for Proposals (RFP) that will allocate approximately $3.4 million for offshore wind fisheries research along the U.S. East Coast. The initiative aims to enhance understanding of the interactions between offshore wind development and fisheries, providing critical insights to support regional science.
“This funding opportunity is unique, taking an inclusive approach to prioritization and research topic area selection,” said ROSA Executive Director, Reneé Reilly. “These funds are intended to bridge the gap between the fishing and offshore wind development industries by fostering innovative solutions, filling information gaps, and helping to ensure the sustainability of marine ecosystems while supporting the fishing communities that rely on them. We are committed to advancing science that informs responsible decision-making, benefiting both the environment and our regional economies.”
Funding for this research comes through Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificates (ORECs) from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The NYSERDA OREC Solicitation required bids to include funding toward regional-scale research on fisheries and wildlife. The awarded project, Empire Wind 1, is being developed by Equinor, LLC (Equinor). ROSA will use these regional research dollars to identify and fund hypothesis-driven science that follows a research plan, leverage ongoing research and coordination activities, and deliver timely results to inform fisheries and offshore wind planning, management, and assessment.
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “NYSERDA remains committed to ensuring that as we develop offshore wind energy in New York State, we do so in a responsible manner. It’s rewarding to see that NYSERDA’s solicitation requirements have helped spur support for this research aimed at informing interactions between fisheries, the marine community and developers as we seek to protect our environment and ecosystems during our energy transition. We commend Equinor and ROSA for collaborating to move this initiative forward.”
For 5 years since its founding, ROSA has worked to engage the fishing and offshore wind industries in a comprehensive prioritization process for research. That process has most recently included a Research Gaps Analysis using the Fish and Fisheries OffshoRe Wind Research Database (FishFORWRD) and funder coordination meetings to gather the most up to date information from federal, regional, state, and nongovernmental organizations across the Atlantic Coast. The Research Gaps Analysis identified high-priority research needs, which the ROSA Board of Directors, Advisory Council, Research Advisors, and community members were invited to rank.
Reilly added, “ROSA is dedicated to promoting research that is scientific, objective, collaborative, and transparent. All work products resulting from awarded projects will be publicly available, ensuring that findings are actionable and beneficial to stakeholders”.
“As offshore wind energy expands rapidly in the U.S., the need for comprehensive research on its impact on marine ecosystems and fisheries is more critical than ever. ROSA’s Regional Research Program represents a significant step toward enhancing our understanding of these interactions and supporting the sustainability of both marine environments and fishing communities”, concluded Reilly.
Additional Background
The RFP will support projects in the following key areas:
- Supporting Fisheries Access – Up to $1.6 million available for strategies that enhance the coexistence of fishing efforts with offshore wind activities. This funding will foster innovations in gear technology and non-compensatory mitigation strategies, aiming to sustain fishing activity amidst offshore wind development.
- Understanding Potential Offshore Wind Impacts to Larval Fish – Up to $1.2 million aimed at projects exploring the effects of offshore wind on the transport, settlement, and distribution of commercially important larval fish and invertebrates. Insights gained will inform fisheries management and decision-making regarding offshore wind siting.
- Fisheries Monitoring: Data Integration, Evaluation, & Analysis – Up to $640,000 to enhance regional fisheries monitoring efforts through innovative data integration strategies. Projects should contribute to advancing methodologies for assessing the cumulative impacts on fisheries.
The full RFP can be found here.
Interested parties are encouraged to sign up for notifications about this and other ROSA updates at ROSA Newsletter Signup.