This Educational Research Brief summarizes the potential impacts of floating system cable interactions on marine mammals and sea turtles. Both primary entanglement hazards of floating cable systems and secondary entanglement hazards related to marine debris and derelict fishing gear are considered. Cable interactions associated with analogous marine applications are also reviewed to effectively evaluate potential impacts, including vessel anchoring and buoy mooring systems.
Risk to Marine Life from Marine Debris and Floating Offshore Wind Cable Systems
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The Brief was reviewed by external subject matter experts (Lauren Saez, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Dr. Desray Reeb, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Dr. Julie van der Hoop, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) 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 Underwater Noise and Entanglement Consideration for Offshore Wind Farms.
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The table below contains the literature relevant to this summary document.
| Title | Author | Date Sort ascending | Content Type | Technology | Stressor | Receptor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing Study Plan: ADRIFT: Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Cetaceans in the California Current Ecosystem Using Drifting Archival Passive Acoustic Monitoring (NSL #PC-20-04) | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) | Report | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | |||
| Satellite data for the offshore renewable energy sector: Synergies and innovation opportunities | Medina-López, E., McMillan, D., Lazic, J., Hart, E., Zen, S., Angeloudis, A., Bannon, E., Browell, J., Dorling, S., Dorrell, R., Forster, R., Old, C., Payne, G., Porter, G., Rabaneda, A., Sellar, B., Tapoglou, E., Trifinova, N., Woodhouse, I., Zampollo, A. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Wind Energy | Human Dimensions | ||
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Large whale entanglements off the U.S. West Coast, from 1982-2017 | Saez, L., Lawson, D., DeAngelis, M. | Report | Entanglement | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | ||
| West Coast Entanglement Science Workshop Report | The Nature Conservancy, California Ocean Protection Council | Workshop Article | Entanglement | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Reptiles, Sea Turtles | ||
| Ongoing Study Plan: Development of Computer Simulations to Assess Entanglement Risk to Whales and Leatherback Sea Turtles in Offshore Floating Wind Turbine Moorings, Cables, and Associated Derelict Fishing Gear Offshore California | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) | Report | Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | Entanglement | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Reptiles, Sea Turtles | |
| Ongoing Study Plan: Pacific Marine Assessment Partnership for Protected Species (PacMAPPS) (NSL #PC-17-04) | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) | Report | ||||
| Entanglement of Marine Life: Risks and Response | NOAA Fisheries | Webpage | Entanglement | Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles | ||
| 2020 State of the Science Report - Chapter 8: Encounters of Marine Animals with Marine Renewable Energy Device Mooring Systems and Subsea Cables | Garavelli, L. | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave | Entanglement | Marine Mammals | |
| Research and Development Opportunities for Offshore Wind Energy in California | Sathe, A., Romano, A., Hamilton, B., Ghosh, D., Parzygnot, G., Paberzs, M. | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Human Dimensions | ||
| Understanding Potential Effects of West Coast Offshore Renewable Energy Development on Marine Mammals | Reeb, D. | Presentation | Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | Marine Mammals | ||
| National Report on Large Whale Entanglements Confirmed in the United States in 2018 | NOAA Fisheries | Report | Entanglement | Marine Mammals | ||
| Strategy for Protecting Whales and Sea Turtles & Ensuring Thriving Fisheries: Reducing the Risk of Entanglement in California Fishing Gear | California Ocean Protection Council | Report | Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles | |||
| Project Environmental Monitoring Plan: Kincardine Offshore Windfarm Project October 2019 | Kincardine Offshore Wind Ltd | Report | Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals | ||
| A Framework for Studying the Effects of Offshore Wind Development on Marine Mammals and Turtles | Kraus, S., Kenney, R., Thomas, L. | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles | ||
| Humpback Whale Encounter with Offshore Wind Mooring Lines and Inter-Array Cables | Copping, A., Grear, M. | Report | Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | Entanglement | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | |
| Offshore Standards: Position mooring | DNV GL | Report | ||||
| Environmental Management Plan: Kincardine Offshore Wind Farm Project April 2018 | Kincardine Offshore Wind Ltd | Report | Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | Human Dimensions | ||
| Environmental and Consenting Barriers to Developing Floating Wind Farms Including Innovative Solutions | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) | Report | Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | |||
| Floating Offshore Wind Platforms | Uzunoglu, E., Karmakar, D., Soares, C. | Book Chapter | Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | |||
| Assessment of Entanglement Risk to Marine Megafauna due to Offshore Renewable Energy Mooring Systems | Harnois, V., Smith, H., Benjamins, S., Johanning, L. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | Entanglement | Marine Mammals | |
| Environmental Monitoring Report for VolturnUS Deployment in Castine, ME | Brady, D. | Report | Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries | ||
| Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Environmental Statement | Statoil | Report | Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment | ||
| 2014 Report on the Entanglement of Marine Species in Marine Debris with an Emphasis on Species in the United States | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) | Report | Entanglement | Birds, Seabirds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions | ||
| A Review of Floating Platform Concepts for Offshore Wind Energy Generation | Thiagarajan, K., Dagher, H. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | |||
| Understanding the Potential for Marine Megafauna Entanglement Risk from Marine Renewable Energy Developments | Benjamins, S., Harnois, V., Smith, H., Johanning, L., Greenhill, L., Carter, C., Wilson, B. | Report | Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | Entanglement | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | |
| Current state of knowledge of effects of offshore renewable energy generation devices on marine mammals & research requirements | Thompson, D., Hall, A., Lonergan, M., McConnell, B., Northridge, S. | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Marine Mammals | ||
| Criteria and Case Definitions for Serious Injury and Death of Pinnipeds and Cetaceans Caused by Anthropogenic Trauma | Moore, M., van der Hoop, J., Barco, S., Costidis, A., Gulland, F., Jepson, P., Moore, K., Raverty, S., McLellan, W. | Journal Article | Noise, Collision | Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans |