The Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) has commenced operations with a goal of advancing regional research and monitoring of fisheries and offshore wind interactions in federal waters.
The group is a collaborative effort among fishing industry representatives, offshore wind developers, and state and federal government agencies. It will be structured with an executive council, a research council, and topic- and geographic-specific subcommittees.
It seeks to address broader aspects of the ocean environment that offshore fisheries and wind energy activities occupy, including pre-facility baseline activity and resource status, ecosystem-based fishery management, socioeconomic effects, cumulative impacts, and other relevant science.
The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) was a key partner in forming ROSA.
“So much is poorly understood regarding the impacts of large-scale offshore wind energy development to fisheries and fish stocks, and studies that have been performed lack regional coordination,” says Annie Hawkins, executive director of RODA. “This forum will be immensely helpful to the fishing industry so that it may provide leadership in study prioritization, methodology and execution through cooperative research.”
NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency charged with stewardship of living marine resources, is also supporting the group.
“America’s offshore wind energy future is dependent on scientists, fishermen and energy officials uniting under a common goal: safeguarding our invaluable marine resources,” states Chris Oliver, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “NOAA Fisheries is pleased to be a part of this scientific endeavor to ensure our fisheries and fishing communities continue to thrive.”
Several developers, including EDF Renewables, Ørsted, Shell New Energies and Equinor Wind US, have expressed support for ROSA.
“EDF Renewables is in full support of efforts to deepen the understanding of the effects of offshore wind development,” says Chris Hart, head of U.S. offshore wind for EDF Renewables. “The ocean ecosystem and fisheries are of paramount importance as we move forward to build an energy industry in our oceans. ROSA, through a research-based approach, will provide credible data to inform decisions, and importantly, the research will be cooperative, bringing together the various stakeholders along with scientific and technical experts.”
