From the Executive Director
DEAR ROSA COMMUNITY:
ROSA is excited to be celebrating five years this fall! As we look forward to the new season and final quarter of 2024, I want to take a moment to reflect back on the incredible strides taken so far this year.
In case you missed it, this summer, we launched an updated version of the Fish and Fisheries OffshoRe Wind Research Database (FishFORWRD) as a user-friendly web tool cataloging current research projects and research needs around fish, fisheries, and offshore wind. The research projects and needs included in FishFORWRD are actively being used to prioritize future funding topics for upcoming ROSA Regional RFPs. View FishFORWRD here.
In this newsletter issue, our team will provide an overview of the FishFORWRD Research Gaps Analysis presentation held this month, the official launch of the ROSA Data Governance Program, and more.
Regards,
| | | |
Reminder: ROSA Advisory Council September 26th | |
|
Our next Advisory Council Meeting takes place this Thursday, September 26th at
9 AM EST. The meeting is open to the public. You can view the agenda here and click here to register. We hope you can join us.
December Save the Date:
ROSA Advisory Council Meeting
December 19, 2024 1pm-4pm ET
| | |
ROSA Gaps Analysis Presentation | |
|
Last month, ROSA launched Phase 1 of FishFORWRD (Fish and Fisheries Offshore Wind Research Database)—a comprehensive database featuring completed and ongoing research, developer monitoring surveys, and published research needs related to offshore wind, fish, and fisheries. The webtool which is now live on our website was made possible by support from Attentive Energy. Phase 2 is already in motion and focuses on a Research Gaps Analysis. Working closely with our partner, WSP, Inc., ROSA staff consolidated 323 research needs into 101 Summarized Research Needs, matching them with existing research and surveys in FishFORWRD. This process helps us identify which research needs are actively being explored and where gaps remain.
To ensure the credibility of our findings, we plan to hold a peer review of the analysis, allowing independent experts to evaluate the methods, data, and conclusions. Once finalized, we will include the gaps analysis results within FishFORWRD and expect this tool to be a valuable resource for both funders and researchers in shaping future studies and investments. If you are interested in being involved in the peer review process, please contact our Research Project Manager, Tricia Perez at tricia@rosascience.org
|  | |
|
Currently, ROSA is already using the Gaps Analysis results to inform potential focus areas for future ROSA Regional RFPs. This month, Tricia Perez, ROSA’s Research Project Manager, presented the Gaps Analysis findings to our Advisory Council, Research Advisors, and other key stakeholders. During this session, we shared insights into which research needs are both regional and align with ROSA's mission, and sought input on prioritizing these needs via a ranking survey. More information can be found at rosascience.org/resources/fishforwrd
We invite you to join us at our next quarterly Advisory Council Meeting on Thursday, September 26, at 9 AM EST, where we'll share more details and some preliminary results from the ranking survey.
| |
|
After reviewing the state of fisheries data production, storage, and accessibility in 2022, ROSA decided to launch a data governance program focused on offshore wind-related fisheries data.
The goals for the ROSA Data Governance Program include:
- Assessing available data repositories and recommending repositories and other data spaces for all relevant data creators/contributors. Recommending additional metadata or data standards as needed, to improve data interoperability and reusability across repositories.
- Mapping the fisheries data ecosystem, including data journeys for specific elements and sampling methods. After identifying bottlenecks in the data journeys, working with data creators/owners to reduce those barriers
- Setting clear guidelines for monitoring data handling for developers, contractors, researchers, and agencies
- Providing guidance on data workflows to support cumulative impacts analyses
This work will be done by the ROSA team and partners at Intertidal Agency, a nonprofit that supports ocean data collaborations. As part of this project, ROSA will convene a special data governance committee and working groups to explore specific data topics and types.
Interested in learning more? Sign up for information here.
| | |
|  |
Since members of the OSW and fisheries communities joined forces to launch ROSA in 2019, the organization has created opportunities for collaboration and coordination around our industry's research and monitoring efforts. We have so much to celebrate and I would like to invite you to attend ROSA's 5th Anniversary Reception being held on Monday, October 28th from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at the Knife & Fork Inn, Atlantic City, NJ. This event takes place during the week of American Clean Power’s 2024 Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition. To purchase tickets and find out more information, click here. We hope to see you there! | |
Brian Dresser, Tetra Tech presents at the symposium. | |
This symposium was co-convened by ROSA, Tetra Tech, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, NOAA Fisheries, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, and The Nature Conservancy.
The session broadly addressed interactions of offshore wind with fish and with commercial/recreational fisheries. The two-day event concluded with an open discussion, focused on knowledge sharing and lessons learned to inform coexistence of offshore wind and fisheries as development advances on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
| |
|
American Fisheries Society (AFS)
154th Annual Meeting Symposium
Offshore Wind, Fish, and Fisheries:
Emerging Knowledge and Applications
| Research Project Manager, Tricia Perez (above) presented the latest on FishFORWRD, and Executive Director, Reneé Reilly moderated a panel on OSW fisheries monitoring plans. | | |
|
CA Environmental Monitoring Guidance
This summer Dr. Mike Pol, ROSA’s Research Director, was invited to participate and lend expertise on the Fish Ecology Workgroup contributing to the creation of Offshore Wind Environmental Monitoring Guidance for Floating Offshore Wind for the State of California. The California Ocean Policy Council competitively selected the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF) as the recipient of the project to develop comprehensive guidance to serve as a valuable resource for regulators, developers, and various stakeholders involved in offshore wind projects in California to ensure that environmental impacts of offshore wind development are properly monitored, evaluated, and mitigated throughout the project’s lifecycle. Dr. Pol plans to share lessons learned at ROSA on the East Coast and context from both the ROSA Offshore Wind Project Monitoring Framework and Guidelines and FishFORWRD to aid in the development of effective, scientific monitoring guidance for California.
| |
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Annual Science Conference | |
Research Director Mike Pol recently presented a poster at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Annual Science Conference, highlighting a recently-launched project aimed at fostering compatibility between fisheries and floating offshore wind farms. The project focuses on co-designing floating wind turbine platforms and related infrastructure in partnership with fishermen from North Carolina to Maine.
| |
|
ROSA on the ROAD
Upcoming Events and Meetings
MAFMC Meeting
October 8 - 10
ASMFC Annual Meeting
October 21-24
MAC-NED AFS
October 27-29
ROSA 5 Year Celebration
October 28
Scallop Stock Enhancement Workshop October 29 - 30
| |
ROSA staff visited the Honolulu Fish Auction during the American Fisheries Society (AFS)
Meeting 2024 (photo above)
| | |
|
Before you go, I invite you to follow ROSA on LinkedIn, Instagram, and X for the latest updates and information on offshore wind fisheries research and monitoring along the East Coast.
Best Regards,
Reneé Reilly, Ph.D.
Executive Director, ROSA
Renee@rosascience.org
| | | | |
