Offshore Wind Power Projects in the Great Lakes - Ministry of ...

Offshore wind power projects in the Great Lakes: Background information and science considerations for fish and fish habitat
Fish survey type Examples of where employed Advantages Limitations
Pelagic trawl surveys
Trap netting, minnow
traps
Electrofishing
Seine netting
• Mid-water trawling to assess
pelagic species for annual
forage fish monitoring in the
Great Lakes (USGS);
• To assess and monitor the status
of nearshore sport and
commercial fish species within
the Great Lakes; minnow traps
used to target smaller or
juvenile species
• To conduct nearshore fish
community assessments in
littoral areas of the Great Lakes;
to evaluate the status of fish
communities and habitat
productivity in Great Lakes
Areas of Concern (DFO)
• To conduct nearshore surveys of
small fish populations in the
Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe
• Fish can be identified, counted and
measured; good catchability for certain
pelagic species; mortality to fish can be
low; often the best available option for
assessing pelagic schooling species when
combined with hydroacoustic surveys
• Fish can be identified, counted and
measured; minimal fish mortality;
effective for cover-seeking nearshore
species, smaller taxa and juveniles not
targeted by other netting surveys; could be
useful for assessing effects of submarine
cables or habitat disturbance to nearshore
fish communities
• Fish can be identified, counted and
measured; when performed correctly
results in no permanent harm to fish; fish
can be captured in most nearshore
habitats; various size ranges can be
targeted; could be useful for assessing
effects of submarine cables or habitat
disturbance to nearshore fish communities
• Fish can be identified, counted and
measured; results in minimal fish
mortality; targets shoreline, small-fish
communities excluded by other netting
techniques; could be useful for assessing
effects of submarine cables or habitat
disturbance to nearshore fish communities
• Low catchability for benthic species
(not representative of entire fish
assemblage); sampling near turbine
foundations risks gear
entanglement; limited to ice-free
seasons
• Not effective in deeper water; openwater
pelagic species not
represented; spatial coverage
limited; use limited to ice-free
seasons
• Limited to shallow water areas (< 2
m); catch can be selectively biased
as to fish size and species
composition; spatial coverage
limited; use limited to ice-free
seasons
• Limited to shallow water areas and
minimal vegetation; large, deeperwater
species not targeted; spatial
coverage limited; use limited to icefree
seasons
Aquatic Research and Development Section 112