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

Offshore wind power projects in the Great Lakes: Background and science considerations for fish and fish habitat
Executive Summary
As jurisdictions consider the possible future installation of offshore wind power projects in the
Great Lakes, there is an increasing need for developing best management practices and providing
guidance related to the effects on the economically and ecologically valuable aquatic resources
within these ecosystems. Although no offshore wind power installations currently exist in North
America, offshore wind power projects in marine environments have existed for several decades
in Europe. In a first, accompanying report, we reviewed available scientific and grey literature
from the marine experience, and drew upon our knowledge of Great Lakes fish species, to
identify the potential effects of offshore wind power projects on Great Lakes fish and fish
habitat. In this second report, we take the next step of outlining the state-of-the-science on
mitigation options, monitoring tools and techniques, and adaptive management and
precautionary considerations related to those effects outlined in the first report. We also provide
a basis for future work by identifying priorities and approaches for research and for addressing
key uncertainties. While we do not develop best management practices here, our aim is for this
report to provide the background information required for moving forward with the development
of guidance related to offshore wind power projects in the Great Lakes and the considerations
that need to be given to fish and fish habitat.
Key findings of this report include:
• In advance of any construction, consideration given as to site location and important biological
periods will be critical for minimizing impacts to fish and fish habitat.
• Mitigation options are available for reducing impacts to fish and fish habitat; however,
continued technological advancement and research will enable consideration and adoption of
additional mitigation options within the Great Lakes.
• Even given precaution in choosing sites and best efforts to predict and avoid impacts,
unforeseen effects could arise due to a lack of experience with wind power projects in
freshwater; therefore, proper site-specific baseline and effects monitoring conducted over
several years will be valuable and informative.
• Noise during construction is among the most serious effects to be considered; a soft start is the
most common and feasible option to prevent noise-induced injury to fish from pile driving.
• Release of sediment-bound contaminants during construction activities is of particular concern
in the Great Lakes; pre-construction, site-specific sediment surveys will enable proponents to
identify the risk for contaminant release.
• There is evidence to suggest that lake trout could use turbine foundation scour protection
materials as artificial reefs for spawning if they are designed appropriately.
• Key knowledge gaps include the spatial and temporal extent of operational noise and
electromagnetic field effects on fish distribution, population dynamics, and recruitment.
• Adaptive management and applying the precautionary approach are methods available for
incorporating uncertainty into the decision-making process; developing an explicit cycle for
adaptive management for offshore wind would enable hypothesis-driven learning from the first
few projects to guide future offshore development practices within the Great Lakes.
• Offshore wind power generation within the Great Lakes has the potential to be implemented
with minimal impacts on the aquatic ecosystem if mitigation options are adopted, benefits are
enhanced, learning is built into the management cycle, precaution is taken as to site location,
and appropriate baseline and effects monitoring are conducted.
Aquatic Research and Development Section 6