Offshore Wind in the Northeast Region

This webpage is collaboratively managed by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils

Photo by Dennis Schroeder/NREL, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils (MAFMC and NEFMC), working with NOAA Fisheries, collaboratively developed this page to link to information and resources that may be relevant to offshore wind energy development and fisheries. This page also provides information on the Councils' involvement in, and comments on, wind energy development activities, as well as resources for its stakeholders.

Stay Informed

Notices to Fishermen and Comment Opportunities

Our Offshore Wind - Stay Informed page has links and resources to help you stay informed about offshore wind projects in the Northeast region. Find the latest notices or sign up to receive email updates about activities in your area.

Exploring the Coexistence of Fisheries and Offshore Wind

Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and Environmental Resources Management are exploring approaches to fisheries coexistence with floating offshore wind. Engagement efforts begin mid-April 2024. Learn more here.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the lead federal agency responsible for leasing and oversight/regulation of offshore wind energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Visit the links below to engage in and stay informed about BOEM activities.

Council Engagement on Offshore Wind

To the extent practicable, the Councils comment directly to BOEM, the Coast Guard, and other agencies in response to specific requests for input. For individual projects, this includes submitting comments during the scoping period and on draft environmental impact statements. Other comment opportunities include calls for information on potential new wind energy areas, proposed lease sale notices and related environmental assessments, and draft port access route studies.

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Potential Future Lease Areas

  • Central Atlantic. In December 2023, BOEM announced a proposed sale notice for two additional lease areas off Delaware/Maryland and Virginia. BOEM anticipates publishing a final sale notice in June 2024 and holding a lease auction in August 2024. BOEM is also taking steps towards defining more lease areas in the Central Atlantic, with an additional lease auction possible in 2026.

  • Gulf of Maine (Commercial Leasing). In March 2024, BOEM announced a final Wind Energy Area for the Gulf of Maine. Eight lease areas were proposed in a Proposed Sale Notice which is available for comment through July 1, 2024. BOEM anticipates publishing a final sale notice and conducting a lease auction by the end of 2024.

  • Gulf of Maine (Research Lease). On May 3, 2023, BOEM announced the publication of the Gulf of Maine’s Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a wind energy research lease on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf offshore Maine.

Federal and state agencies, fishing industry members and fishery managers, and wind developers have established various mechanisms by which to coordinate and promote the coexistence of fisheries and offshore wind farms.

Responsible Offshore Development Alliance

The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) is a broad membership-based coalition of fishing industry associations and fishing companies with an interest in improving the compatibility of new offshore development with their businesses. It endeavors, through collaborations with NOAA Fisheries and other partners, to coordinate science and policy approaches to managing development of the Outer Continental Shelf in a way that minimizes conflicts with existing traditional and historical fishing. In March 2019, NOAA Fisheries and BOEM signed a 10 year Memorandum of Understanding with RODA.

Responsible Offshore Science Alliance

The Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) is an independent 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing for and advancing regional research and monitoring of fisheries and offshore wind interactions in federal waters through collaboration and cooperation in order to: (a) Increase salient and credible data on fisheries and wind development; and (b) increase the understanding of the effects of wind energy development on fisheries and the ocean ecosystems on which they depend.

Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative

The Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative (RSWC) is led by four sectors with equal representation: federal agencies, states, environmental non-governmental organizations, and the offshore wind industry. The mission of the RWSC is to collaboratively and effectively conduct and coordinate relevant, credible, and efficient regional monitoring and research of wildlife and marine ecosystems that supports the advancement of environmentally responsible and cost-efficient offshore wind power development activities in U.S. Atlantic waters. The RWSC focuses on non-fisheries wildlife.

State Pages and Resources

Relevant International Activities

Survey Recommendations

NOAA Fisheries Habitat and Protected Resources Mapping Applications

The Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Mapper is an interactive platform for viewing maps of habitats identified as necessary to managed fish species for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity. An EFH consultation with NOAA Fisheries is required whenever a federal agency authorizes, funds, or undertakes an action (such as authorizing construction of a wind farm) in an area that will affect EFH. More information on the EFH consultation process is available on the NOAA Fisheries web page.

The Protected Resources: Section 7 Mapper is an interactive platform for identifying where endangered and threatened species and their critical habitat occur within the Greater Atlantic Region. All federal actions that may affect a species or critical habitat listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) must undergo a consultation between the lead federal agency and NOAA Fisheries or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, depending on the species. All offshore wind activities are likely to require an ESA consultation with NOAA Fisheries. More information on the ESA Section 7 consultation process is available on the NOAA Fisheries web page.

Regional Ocean Data Portals

The Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal and Northeast Ocean Data Portal are online resources that consolidate available data to visualize and analyze ocean resources and human use information such as fishing grounds, recreational areas, shipping lanes, habitat areas, and energy sites, among others. Data include offshore project areas and cable corridors for certain wind energy projects.

Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) conducts and funds research and development activities related to offshore wind energy, through its Wind Energy Technology Office. To stay informed about wind energy activities and public comment opportunities, sign up to receive email updates from the DOE. Visit the pages linked below to learn more.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

Additional Documents and Resources

Contacts

Disclaimer: Many of the links on this page lead to external websites not managed by the Mid-Atlantic or New England Council. We have made every effort to ensure that the resources listed on this page are relevant and up-to-date. However, the Councils cannot guarantee the accuracy of information provided on non-Council websites. References to external websites do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by either Council. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the staff members listed at the bottom of this page.