This Educational Research Brief summarizes the potential impact of the presence of vessels on marine mammals and sea turtles, with a focus on vessel collision risk. As this risk is not specific to offshore wind development, a general review of vessel collision risk for marine mammals and sea turtles within the maritime industry was conducted. The brief evaluates the potential risk of vessel collision during all phases of the wind farm lifecycle.
Presence of Vessels: Effects of Vessel Collision on Marine Life
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The Brief was reviewed by external subject matter experts (Jessica Morten, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Cotton Rockwood, Point Blue Conservation Science) and the SEER Science and Technical (S&T) Advisory Committee. These subject matter experts also participated in a panel discussion during the SEER Webinar on Electromagnetic Fields & Vessel Collision: Effects on Marine Life from Offshore Wind Energy.
View more SEER Educational Research Briefs, webinar recordings, and other resources here.
The table below contains the literature relevant to this summary document.
| Title | Author | Date Sort ascending | Content Type | Technology | Stressor | Receptor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Demand for a Domestic Offshore Wind Energy Supply Chain | Shields, M., Marsh, R., Stefek, J., Oteri, F., Gould, R., Rouxel, N., Diaz, K., Molinero, J., Moser, A., Malvik, C., Tirone, S. | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Human Dimensions | ||
| Greater Atlantic Marine Mammal Stranding Network | NOAA Fisheries | Webpage | Marine Mammals | |||
| Marine Mammals on the West Coast: Vessel Strikes | NOAA Fisheries | Webpage | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals | ||
| Protected Species Observers | NOAA Fisheries | Webpage | ||||
| Reducing Vessel Strikes to North Atlantic Right Whales | NOAA Fisheries | Webpage | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | ||
| Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports by Species/Stock | NOAA Fisheries | Webpage | Marine Mammals | |||
| Understanding Vessel Strikes | NOAA Fisheries | Webpage | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Reptiles | ||
| North Atlantic Right Whale | NOAA Fisheries | Webpage | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | |||
| Glossary: Marine Mammal Protection Act | NOAA Fisheries | Webpage | Marine Mammals | |||
| South Fork Wind Farm and South Fork Export Cable Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) | Report | Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Social & Economic Data | |||
| Marine Mammals Workgroup Report for the State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy 2020: Cumulative Impacts | Southall, B., Morse, L., Williams, K., Jenkins, E. | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Changes in Flow, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals | |
| Sea Turtle Workgroup Report for the State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy 2020: Cumulative Impacts | Gitschlag, G., Perry, R., Williams, K., Jenkins, E. | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise | Reptiles, Sea Turtles | |
| Vineyard Wind 1 Construction and Operations Plan | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement | ||
| Risk Assessment to Model Encounter Rates between Large Whales and Sea Turtles and Vessel Traffic from Offshore Wind Energy on the Atlantic OCS | Barkaszi, M., Fonseca, M., Foster, T., Malhotra, A., Olsen, K. | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Navigation | |
| Vineyard Wind 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise | Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment | |
| Offshore Wind Report: Positioning for U.S. Expansion: U.S. Ports and Vessels Innovation | American Bureau of Shipping | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Human Dimensions, Navigation | ||
| ABS to class first Jones Act-compliant offshore wind service operation vessel | WPED Staff | Webpage | ||||
| Dominion Energy Continues Development of First Jones Act Compliant Offshore Wind Turbine Installation Vessel | Slayton, J. | Webpage | ||||
| Rystad Energy: Fleet of Offshore Installation Vessels Will Be Outpaced by Demand | Mercure, M. | Webpage | Wind Energy | |||
| Draft Construction and Operations Plan Volume I Vineyard Wind Project | Vineyard Wind | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | |||
| Estimating effectiveness of speed reduction measures for decreasing whale-strike mortality in a high-risk region | Rockwood, R., Adams, J., Silber, G., Jahncke, J. | Journal Article | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | ||
| Review of Maritime Transport 2020 | United Nations Conference on Trade and Development | Report | Human Dimensions, Navigation | |||
| North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) Vessel Speed Rule Assessment | NOAA Fisheries | Report | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | ||
| Information Guidelines for a Renewable Energy Construction and Operations Plan (COP) | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) | Guidance | Marine Energy, Wind Energy | Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy | ||
| A Global Review of Vessel Collisions With Marine Animals | Schoeman, R., Patterson-Abrolat, C., Plon, S. | Journal Article | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Navigation | ||
| Economic Analysis of the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Speed Restriction Rule | Industrial Economics Inc | Report | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | ||
| Differential Vulnerability to Ship Strikes Between Day and Night for Blue, Fin, and Humpback Whales Based on Dive and Movement Data From Medium Duration Archival Tags | Calambokidis, J., Fahlbusch, J., Szesciorka, A., Southall, B., Cade, D., Friedlaender, A., Goldbogen, J. | Journal Article | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | ||
| Vineyard Wind Offshore Wind Energy Project Biological Assessment | Vineyard Wind | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | |||
| The recovery of North Atlantic right whales, Eubalaena glacialis, has been constrained by human-caused mortality | Corkeron, P., Hamilton, P., Bannister, J., Best, P., Charlton, C., Groch, K., Findlay, K., Rowntree, V., Vermeulen, E., Pace, R. | Journal Article | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | |||
| Summary Report: Best Management Practices Workshop for Atlantic Offshore Wind Facilities and Marine Protected Species | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Noise | Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning | |
| High mortality of blue, humpback and fin whales from modeling of vessel collisions on the U.S. West Coast suggests population impacts and insufficient protection | Rockwood, R., Calambokidis, J., Jahncke, J. | Journal Article | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals | ||
| Vessel Strikes to Large Whales Before and After the 2008 Ship Strike Rule | van der Hoop, J., Vanderlaan, A., Cole, T., Henry, A., Hall, L., Mase-Guthrie, B., Wimmer, T., Moore, M. | Journal Article | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | ||
| Monitoring and Mitigation Alternatives for Protection of North Atlantic Right Whales during Offshore Wind Farm Installation | Carlson, T., Halvorsen, M., Matzner, S., Copping, A., Stavole, J. | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Noise | Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Navigation | |
| REPCET Realtime Plotting of Cetaceans: Presentation of the System | Mayol, P. | Report | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Human Dimensions, Navigation | ||
| Association Between Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) Mortality and Ship Strikes Along the California Coast | Berman-Kowalewski, M., Gulland, F., Wilkin, S., Calambokidis, J., Mate, B., Cordaro, J., Rotstein, D., St. Leger, J., Collins, P., Fahy, K., Dover, S. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Human Dimensions, Navigation | |
| Endangered Fish and Wildlife; Final Rule To Implement Speed Restrictions to Reduce the Threat of Ship Collisions With North Atlantic Right Whales | National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) | Guidance | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Human Dimensions, Navigation | ||
| Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Alternative Energy Development and Production and Alternate Use of Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf | US Minerals Management Service (MMS), US Department of the Interior (DOI) | Report | Marine Energy, Ocean Current, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | |||
| Vessel Collisions with Whales: The Probability of Lethal Injury Based on Vessel Speed | Vanderlaan, A., Taggart, C. | Journal Article | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | ||
| Forensic Methods for Characterizing Watercraft from Watercraft-Induced Wounds on the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) | Rommel, S., Costidis, A., Pitchford, T., Lightsey, J., Snyder, R., Haubold, E. | Journal Article | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals | ||
| Large Whale Ship Strike Database | Jensen, A., Silber, G. | Report | Vessel Strike | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans |