Abstract
The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF) and fishing partners have completed the first year of the South Fork Wind Farm pre-development fisheries monitoring gillnet survey. During the reporting period, all survey trips for the fall seasonal survey were completed between October and December 2021. The gillnet survey gear consists of five gillnet strings per area with six, 300-foot net panels of 12-inch mesh and tie downs. A total of ninety nets were sampled, twice per month on a 24-hour soak during survey periods. The entire catch was measured, and weighed, with length/width measurements taken of individual fish and crustacean species. Stomach samples were collected from select commercially valuable fish species such as winter skate, monkfish and Atlantic cod for prey composition analysis. Oceanographic conditions including temperature, depth, salinity, and weather conditions were recorded for each string. Preliminary results reported cover the entire first year of surveying. The eastern reference area encountered 20 different species and was dominated by skates (winter and little skate), monkfish, and bluefish. The western reference area encountered 27 different species and was dominated by skates (winter skate, little skate), sea scallops, monkfish, and bluefish. Finally, the proposed wind farm area encountered 23 different species and was dominated by winter skate, monkfish, little skate, and bluefish. During the spring months, winter skate dominated the catch with consistent lower levels of summer flounder, monkfish, and little skate catch. In the fall, an increase in monkfish catch, little skate and bluefish was observed.