NMFS West Coast Offshore Wind Energy Strategic Science Plan

 The development of the offshore wind energy sector is creating an entirely new use of the

U.S. ocean. The federal government and several states are pursuing an ambitious schedule for

developing offshore wind energy. As part of the Biden–Harris Administration’s clean energy and

climate mitigation priorities, the President set a goal of responsibly deploying 30 gigawatts of

offshore wind energy nationwide by 2030 while protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean

co-use, and this is intended to be a pathway to developing 110 gigawatts by 2050.1

Interdependencies of the research foci of the NMFS West Coast Offshore Wind Energy Strategic Science Plan.Graphic by Su Kim, NMFS/NWFSC.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the lead federal agency for offshore

energy siting, leasing, and permitting. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, or

NOAA Fisheries) is responsible for the stewardship of the nation’s living marine resources and

their habitat. BOEM seeks consultation from NMFS under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

and under the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act for essential fish

habitat. Developers seek incidental take authorizations from NMFS under the Marine Mammal

Protection Act. Given our unique expertise in fisheries, marine and anadromous species and

their habitats, and the ecosystems in which they live, NMFS also contributes data to BOEM’s

siting process, and provides comments on potential impacts to NMFS trust resources included

in BOEM’s Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements prepared under

the National Environmental Policy Act. Our efforts to identify information gaps and address

critical scientific information needs will be of value to multiple agencies, U.S. West Coast tribal

nations, industry, and a wide range of other parties.

Along the U.S. West Coast, NMFS manages federal fisheries for salmon, groundfish, coastal

pelagic species, and highly migratory species. We do this with our state and tribal co-managers

and the Pacific Fishery Management Council. NMFS also works to conserve and recover

protected species, such as marine mammals, sea turtles, and ESA-listed fish. The research and

monitoring conducted by NMFS’ Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers (NWFSC

and SWFSC) help ensure that NMFS’ management decisions are based on the best available

scientific information and are supported by innovative technologies.

The steep continental shelf along the U.S. West Coast will require floating (as opposed to fixed)

offshore wind turbines, a distinct technology that is as yet unprecedented in the world at a

commercial scale. Development of this new technology and ocean-use sector creates the need

for a unique set of scientific research objectives. It will also require modifications to NMFS’

scientific surveys and monitoring designs to support our stewardship mandates and inform

approaches to developing this new ocean-use sector responsibly and sustainably.

Meeting these challenges will require an investment in science, research, and technology to

understand the impacts of offshore wind energy on marine species, the marine ecosystem and

oceanographic processes, fishing communities, and U.S. West Coast tribes that depend on these

resources. Much of NMFS’ past, present, and future scientific research plans will be informative

to this understanding; however, a new, focused science initiative is needed with the transition

to a novel energy sector sited within the marine ecosystem.