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Fisheries Monitoring Plans

INSPIRE scientists design fisheries monitoring plans that propose non-extractive and standard extractive methods that are best suited to project and regulatory objectives.

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Fisheries Monitoring Plans (FMPs) include selecting the most appropriate survey design, sampling station allocation, field methodology, data management system, and data analysis methods.

Effective FMPs address regulatory objectives to characterize dominant species, establish baseline abundances and distributions, assure sufficient replication, and outline statistical approaches to analyze project effects.

Inspire’s experience developing FMPs for multiple clients has produced robust survey designs and results that satisfy the objectives of regulatory authorities.

Related Projects

Empire Wind Offshore Wind Project

Inspire’s fisheries scientists developed fisheries monitoring surveys to assess potential project effects on longfin squid (bottom trawl), demersal fish (BRUV and eDNA), sea scallops (imagery), and fish presence, movements, and persistence in and around the project area (acoustic telemetry).

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Related Projects

South Fork Offshore Wind Project

Inspire’s fisheries scientists developed fisheries monitoring surveys to assess monkfish and winter skate (gillnet), demersal fish assemblages (beam trawl), lobster (ventless trap), black sea bass, scup, and other demersal fish (fish pot), and sharks, tuna, and other highly migratory species (acoustic telemetry).

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Related Projects

SouthCoast Offshore Wind Project

Inspire’s fisheries scientists developed fisheries monitoring surveys to examine channeled and knobbed whelk (trap), and striped bass, summer flounder, tautog, and little tunny in the inshore waters of the Sakonnet River, RI (acoustic telemetry).

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Meeting regulatory objectives and guidelines

Assessing fisheries to detect potential impacts

Establish dominant species and their seasonal occurrences
Monitoring is conducted to sample demersal and pelagic fish and invertebrate assemblages to identify dominant (abundance and biomass) taxa and their seasonal fluctuations.
Document baseline habitat use through abundance and distribution patterns
Baseline sampling establishes background abundance and distribution patterns either between the project and reference areas or across a spatial gradient from a project feature (e.g., wind turbine foundation or buried cable).
Collect additional information to improve interpretation of results
Inspire examines multiple metrics to better understand potential project effects that may include impacts to size distributions, diet, condition, disease prevalence, or reproductive status.
Collect data that are designed to assess project effects
Inspire uses power analyses to inform development of study designs and improve statistical power, thus reducing uncertainty in the interpretation of monitoring results.
Inspire compares fish parameters between baseline and post-construction time periods to determine project effects.
Our analytical approach includes statistical contrasts as well as descriptive examinations of parameters that may not be suited for statistical tests.
Commercial and recreational fisheries
Inspire contracted with commercial boat captains using their vessels and crews to accomplish two seven-year monitoring studies at Block Island Wind Farm. Results from the two surveys have informed subsequent offshore wind monitoring efforts and were published in peer-reviewed journals.
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The Role of Fishery-Independent Bottom Trawl Surveys in Providing Regional and Temporal Context to Offshore Wind Farm Monitoring Studies

The Role of Fishery-Independent Bottom Trawl Surveys in Providing Regional and Temporal Context to Offshore Wind Farm Monitoring Studies

The Role of Fishery-Independent Bottom Trawl Surveys in Providing Regional and Temporal Context to Offshore Wind Farm Monitoring Studies

Development of offshore wind (OSW) farms in the United States while minimizing impacts to fishery resources is a common goal of state and federal government agencies, environmental interest groups, and fisheries organizations.

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Tribal Consultation in Developing Fisheries Monitoring Plans for Offshore Wind Farms

Tribal Consultation in Developing Fisheries Monitoring Plans for Offshore Wind Farms

Tribal Consultation in Developing Fisheries Monitoring Plans for Offshore Wind Farms

Indigenous communities have timeless relationships with fisheries that include a culture of respect, stewardship, and sustainability. Offshore wind farm (OWF) development involves fisheries monitoring that can conflict with Indigenous values.

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Demersal fish and invertebrate catches relative to construction and operation of North America’s first offshore wind farm

Demersal fish and invertebrate catches relative to construction and operation of North America’s first offshore wind farm

Demersal fish and invertebrate catches relative to construction and operation of North America’s first offshore wind farm

Effects of offshore wind farm (OSW) development in the US on fishery resources have been predicted based on European experience. A sevenyear study of the first US OSW documented the response of demersal fish and invertebrates to construction and operation.

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Other Services

Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Assessments

Acoustic Telemetry

Trawl Surveys

Trap and Fish Pot Surveys

Baited Remote Under Water Video (BRUV) and Plan View (PV) Surveys

Fisheries Outreach

Regulatory Support Services
We provide trusted expert support with a proven track record of success

Interested in Desktop Analyses, Risk Assessment and Constraint Mapping?

Contact INSPIRE Environmental today for additional information about our services.

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