There are substantial knowledge gaps regarding both the bioacoustics and the responses of animals to sounds associated with pre-construction, construction, and operations of offshore wind (OSW) energy development. A workgroup of the 2020 State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy identified studies for the next five years to help stakeholders better understand potential cumulative biological impacts of sound and vibration to fishes and aquatic invertebrates as the OSW industry develops. The workgroup identified seven short-term priorities that include a mix of primary research and coordination efforts. Key research needs include the examination of animal displacement and other behavioral responses to sound, as well as hearing sensitivity studies related to particle motion, substrate vibration, and sound pressure. Other needs include: identification of priority taxa on which to focus research; standardization of methods; development of a long-term highly instrumented field site; and examination of sound mitigation options for fishes and aquatic invertebrates. Effective assessment of potential cumulative impacts of sound and vibration on fishes and aquatic invertebrates is currently precluded by these and other knowledge gaps. However, filling critical gaps in knowledge will improve our understanding of possible sound-related impacts of OSW energy development to populations and ecosystems. V
Winter Flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus, a coastal flatfish species of historically economic and cultural importance, have declined throughout the past few decades within the southern New England and mid-Atlantic region of the United States, reaching a low point of less than 9% of their historic biomass in 2009. Unusually high postsettlement mortality is thought to impose a critical recruitment bottleneck on the population, potentially stalling recovery of Winter Flounder populations despite management measures. Survival and growth during early life history play a key role in the recruitment dynamics of marine fishes. Spatiotemporal differences in these vital rates from young-ofthe-year (i.e., age-0) Winter Flounder have been variously linked to environmental gradients, anthropogenic stressors, differences in the timing of settlement, and location. To better understand local declines in recruitment productivity, we assessed vital rates of age-0 Winter Flounder in five different bays in Long Island, New York. A weekly or biweekly beam-trawl survey targeting age-0 Winter Flounder was implemented over five summers. We compared survey-based estimates of age-0 mortality and growth, finding significant differences between locations in growth but not mortality. A consistently high abundance of age-0 Winter Flounder in Shinnecock Bay and Mattituck Creek was prolonged by a secondary settlement pulse later in the season. Hypothesizing that multiple settlement pulses are a bet-hedging strategy against temporally varying environmental conditions, we compared mortality, growth, and occupied habitat conditions between settlement pulses (cohorts), finding differences in growth and habitat occupancy that varied across years.
There are substantial knowledge gaps regarding both the bioacoustics and the responses of animals to sounds associated with pre-construction, construction, and operations of offshore wind (OSW) energy development. A workgroup of the 2020 State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy recommended priority studies for the next five years to help stakeholders better understand potential cumulative biological impacts of sound and vibration to fishes and aquatic invertebrates as the OSW industry develops. The workgroup identified seven short-term priorities that include a mix of primary research and coordination efforts. Key research needs include the examination of animal displacement and other behavioral responses to sound, as well as hearing sensitivity studies related to particle motion, substrate vibration, and sound pressure. Other needs include: identification of priority taxa on which to focus research; standardization of methods; development of a long-term highly instrumented field site; and examination of sound mitigation options for fishes and aquatic invertebrates. Effective assessment of potential cumulative impacts of sound and vibration on fishes and aquatic invertebrates is currently precluded by these and other knowledge gaps. Filling critical gaps in knowledge will improve our understanding of possible sound-related impacts of OSW energy development to populations and ecosystems.
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