From the Executive Director
Dear ROSA Community:
Transitions in leadership always bring shifts in priorities, policies, and approaches to energy development and environmental stewardship. While we anticipate potential changes in regulatory frameworks and funding mechanisms, one thing remains clear: the need for strong, science-based collaboration between the fisheries community, regulators, and ocean developers has never been more critical.
At ROSA, we are steadfast in our mission: to support coordinated, transparent research that informs decision-making and ensures responsible offshore development. Regardless of policy changes, our commitment to fostering open dialogue, advancing data governance, and strengthening partnerships is unchanged. In fact, these transitions only reinforce the importance of our work in providing a trusted, nonpartisan platform for collaboration.
ROSA held our first Advisory Council meeting of 2025 late last month. It was wonderful to catch up with our members and discuss the current state of offshore wind and fisheries. We heard from our state partners at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the Maine Offshore Wind Research Consortium, and the New Jersey Offshore Wind Research & Monitoring Initiative, plus an update from the Regional Fund Administrator was provided. ROSA staff shared about the January update to the Fish and Fisheries Offshore Wind Research Database (FishFORWRD), discussed the upcoming Research Gaps Analysis peer review, and provided details around the Data Governance Program kickoff and upcoming Working Group meetings. Research highlights were given from both the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance and the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation.
In this issue of our newsletter, you will find our welcome to a new ROSA board member and the announcement of a new state supporting partner. You'll also find updates on the Data Governance Program, and news about this year’s American Fisheries Society session, including the deadline for abstracts.
Looking ahead, we’re focused on supporting the work of our Data Governance Committee, advancing our Regional Research Program with award announcements later this spring, and building new partnerships. Together, we can set the stage for a responsible and sustainable future for our ocean.
Warm regards,
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ROSA Welcomes New Premiere Sponsor
The state of Connecticut has joined ROSA as a 2025 Premiere Level State Supporter. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Connecticut for its outstanding commitment to advancing sustainable fisheries management and ocean science.
| | | State support plays a crucial role in helping us drive innovative research and policy initiatives that benefit our coastal communities and marine ecosystems. We look forward to continued collaboration as we enhance marine science and promote responsible ocean stewardship. | | ROSA’s Data Governance Committee kicked off at a meeting in February. Over forty data experts, including ROSA staff and the Intertidal Agency discussed a broad range of data topics, all focused on ensuring data collected on the impacts to fish and fisheries from offshore wind are reusable for future analyses. The Committee decided to form two working groups to address data standards and promote consistency across research projects. The two groups will be focusing on image data and fishing gear data. They are holding their first meetings in late March and early April. | | ROSA at the New England Fishery Management Council | | | | ROSA was proud to have organized the recent New England Fishery Management Council Offshore Wind & Fisheries Research Session. The event brought together scientists, industry experts, and regulators to explore innovative approaches for regional fisheries monitoring in the context of offshore wind development. | | | Key discussions focused on aligning scientific research with sustainable ocean management and improving data governance practices. For more details on the session, please refer to the summary here. | |
American Fisheries Society 155th Annual Meeting:
Session and Abstracts Updates
| | Since 2021, ROSA has collaboratively organized special sessions on offshore wind, fish, and fisheries at the Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society (AFS). We are looking forward to once again co-hosting a symposium, for a fifth consecutive year, at this year’s 155th AFS Annual meeting in San Antonio, TX. | | | | |
ROSA, along with scientists from Tetra Tech, BOEM, The Nature Conservancy, NMFS, NYSERDA, and RODA, is once again co-convening the symposium Offshore Wind, Fish, and Fisheries – Emerging Knowledge and Applications. The deadline for abstracts is Tuesday, April 15.
Presentations from all sectors and stakeholders are encouraged. Learn more about the event and how to submit abstracts here.
You will find talks from our prior AFS symposia from 2021-2024 at our website. We encourage presenters in these sessions to allow us to post their presentations on our website so a broader audience can see them. All of the 2024 presentations were recently posted on ROSA’s website here.
Presentations from the session on Pathways for a Sustainable Co-Existence of Offshore Energy, Fisheries, and Marine Conservation we also collaboratively organized at the 9th World Fisheries Congress in Seattle in March, 2024 can now be viewed at our website here.
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Save the Date: June Advisory Council Meeting
The next ROSA Advisory Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 18th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm EST. The agenda will be posted on the Advisory Council Meeting Page, where you can also view previous Advisory Council meeting information.
Upcoming 2025 ROSA Advisory Council Meetings:
Thursday, September 25th
Thursday, December 18th
As a reminder, all Advisory Council meetings are open to the public; please plan to join us!
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Tech Surge Event: Save the Date!
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Date: October 8–9, 2025
Location: University of Rhode Island - Bay Campus (Narragansett, Rhode Island)
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Fisheries & Benthic Monitoring TechSurge
The Marine Technology Society (MTS), in partnership with Rhode Island Sea Grant and the University of Rhode Island (URI), and in collaboration with the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) and the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind (RWSC) invite you to this focused, two-day event. We will convene experts from across sectors to explore advancements in monitoring technologies and practices that support responsible offshore development. Save the date now and don't miss out on this opportunity!
| | | | ROSA Welcomes New Board Member | | ROSA is pleased to welcome Vincent Balzano as the newest member of the ROSA Board of Directors. A third-generation fisherman with over 30 years of fisheries management experience, Vincent brings a wealth of practical and regulatory expertise. He notably served nine years on the New England Fisheries Management Council and remains active in the groundfish sector, fishing out of Portland, ME and Gloucester, MA. | | | |
Join Us at the
Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum
The Mid-Atlantic Ocean Planning Committee (Mid-A OPC) will convene its seventh annual Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum from May 6-7 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland.
The two-day event will feature presentations and a series of panel discussions on key topics, including Maritime Safety, Data Sharing and Marine Spatial Planning, Ocean Ecosystems, and the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Economy.
The second day is open to the public and ROSA's Executive Director will join the event to moderate a panel on data sharing, including data governance and the principles of FAIR data.
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ROSA Executive Director to Update ASMFC Commissioners
We’re excited to share that our Executive Director will be providing an update to the Commissioners of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) at their upcoming Spring Meeting, May 5 – 8, in Arlington, VA.
The presentation will spotlight ROSA’s latest initiatives — including advancements in regional fisheries monitoring and data governance — as we work to align our efforts with ASMFC’s strategic priorities for sustainable ocean management.
For more details on the meeting agenda, please see the ASMFC Spring Meeting Preliminary Agenda here. Stay tuned for further updates following this important session.
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Upcoming Events and Meetings
MAFMC, Galloway, NJ April 8-10
NEFMC, Mystic, CT April 15-17
Ocean Renewables Summit, IPF April 30 in Virginia Beach, VA
ASMFC, Arlington, VA, May 5–8
MARCO Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum, Baltimore, MD May 6-7
| | | Before you go, we invite you to follow ROSA on LinkedIn and Instagram for the latest updates and information on offshore wind fisheries research and monitoring along the East Coast. | | | | |
