Offshore Wind Energy - Understanding Impacts on Great Lakes Fishery and Other Aquatic Resources

The need  for  the  workshop  grew  out  of  a  2011  report  by  the  Great  Lakes  Wind  Collaborative  (State  of  the Science  Report:  Ecological  Impacts  of  Wind Energy  in the  Great  Lakes  Region).  That report noted  that Great  Lakes  region-specific  research,  particularly  as  it  relates  to  offshore  wind,  is  notably  lacking. Additional  research  and  studies  are  needed  to  direct  how  wind  projects  are  planned,  sited  and  operated in  the  region.

As  such,  the  November  2012  workshop  aimed  to  build  knowledge  about  the  potential  impacts  of  offshore wind  energy  on  the Great  Lakes  fishery  and  related  aquatic  resources  by  

  sharing scientific  and  related  policy  and  management  information  about  what  is  known  about the  impacts  of offshore  wind  farms  on  aquatic  resources;  

  identifying  the  most  important questions  that need  to  be addressed  to  effectively  review  permit applications  for offshore  wind  development; and

  identifying  knowledge  gaps  and  priority  areas  for future  research  to  answer  the  most  important questions  that  decisionmakers  face  when  determining  whether  and  how  wind  projects  are planned,  sited  and  operated  in  the waters  of  the  Great Lakes (Great Lakes Wind Collaborative 2012).