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New York aerial survey reaches half way

By: Bridget Randall-Smith 17/05/2018 NYSERDA

General Windfarms

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announces that the world's largest offshore wildlife aerial survey off the coast of New York has reached the half way mark.

The data is helping promote environmentally responsible development of the state’s offshore wind resource and establish the state as a global hub for offshore wind.

Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, “Collecting this data is crucial in the state’s effort to provide regulators and offshore wind developers with new scientific data they can use to help avoid the areas that support the richest diversity of marine life. The aerial survey is one of the more than 20 robust studies the state has undertaken to demonstrate carrying out Governor Cuomo’s pledge that the offshore wind resource will be developed in an environmentally responsible manner.”

The three-year study is the world’s largest and most detailed digital aerial survey of offshore marine and bird life. More than two million ultra-high resolution images of birds, sharks, sea turtles, fish and marine mammals have been captured, including two blue whales and six North Atlantic right whales. According to NYSERDA, interesting spatial patterns are already emerging from the data .

Julia Robinson Willmott, Senior Ornithologist at Normandeau said, “We are able to map each animal very precisely including determining the flight heights of birds. Some of the interesting behaviour we have observed includes predatory sharks controlling the configuration of large fish shoals.”

The research covers the New York Offshore Planning Area (OPA) - about 16,000 square miles of the New York Bight. The data from the first two years is now being used by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in their assessment, enhancing the understanding of seasonal wildlife distribution.

A total of 12 ultra-high resolution surveys are being conducted by the environmental consultant Normandeau Associates in collaboration with APEM Ltd. The firm has now completed analysis of the sixth survey, marking the halfway point of the three-year project.

The survey supports Governor Cuomo’s mandate for half of the state’s electricity to come from renewable resources by 2030 and advances the State's commitment that New York is to issue two solicitations in 2018 and 2019 to secure a combined total of at least 800MW of offshore wind power.

BOEM is currently accepting responses to a Call for Information and Nominations to gauge companies interest in wind energy leases within the New York Bight. A total of four Call Areas will be considered, namely Fairways North, Fairways South, Hudson North, and Hudson South. BOEM will accept nominations and comments until May 29th 2018.
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New York aerial survey reaches half way

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