Advisory Council Committee Projects

Committees are established by the advisory council to undertake area- or topic-specific projects or guide contractors and/or Responsible Offshore Science Alliance staff in executing initiatives.

Current Committees and Projects

Offshore Wind Turbines

Regional Research Framework

The goal of this committee is to establish a widely supported framework for states, developers, and others to use to prioritize research and direct resources toward key research questions. Embedded in the framework will be a database for tracking progress on East Coast offshore wind and fisheries research projects. The framework will also help users establish practices for communicating and sharing research results.

Committee Members

  • Michelle Bachman, New England Fishery Management Council
  • Colleen Brust, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
  • Doug Christel, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
  • Greg DeCelles, Ørsted
  • Fiona Hogan, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance
  • Greg Lampman, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
  • Andy Lipsky, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
  • Lisa Methratta, Northeast Fisheries Center
  • Dave Secor, University of Maryland
  • Mike Sissenwine, New England Fishery Management Council
Shark in Atlantic Ocean

Data Sharing and Accessibility

This committee is developing standards for fisheries data collection that emphasize compatibility across industry data sets (so that data can easily be integrated into regional scale studies) and data accessibility.

Committee Members

  • Bonnie Brady, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association
  • Colleen Brust, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
  • Doug Christel, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
  • Tom Dameron, Surfside Foods, LLC; Last Tow, LLC; Overboard Solutions, LLC
  • Greg DeCelles, Ørsted
  • Willy Goldsmith, American Saltwater Guides Association
  • Pat Halpin, Duke University
  • Annie Hawkins, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance
  • Fiona Hogan, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance
  • Josh Kohut, Rutgers University
  • Andy Lipsky, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
  • Julia Livermore, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
  • Ruth Perry, Mayflower Wind Energy
  • Kathleen Reardon, Maine Department of Marine Resources
  • Dave Rudders, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences
  • David Stormer, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
  • Kevin Wark, Endeavor Fisheries
  • Carl Wilson, Maine Department of Marine Resources

Former Committees and Work Groups

Research on a Boat

Fishing Gear Standardization

Members of the ROSA community identified standardization of sampling gear across monitoring and baseline data collection as important to understanding regional impact of offshore wind on fisheries. This topic was raised at the June 17, 2021 advisory council meeting, and following the meeting, a white paper on gear standardization was circulated among the following experts for comment:

Expert Reviewers

  • Terry Alexander, commercial fisherman
  • Dave Bethoney, Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation
  • Jon Knight, Superior Trawl, Inc.
  • Fred Mattera, Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island
  • Anna Mercer, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
  • Phil Politis, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
  • Robert Ruhle, F/V Darana R
  • Kevin Wark, Endeavor Fisheries

Based on their feedback, a presentation on gear standardization was developed for a symposium co-hosted by ROSA at the 2021 American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting.

As an evolution of these discussions, and a survey of research advisors on regional sampling coordination, ROSA has begun creating working groups focused on researchers sampling fishery resources in wind energy areas. These groups are in the early stages of coming together. Anyone who is interested in learning more about these groups should reach out to ROSA Research Director Mike Pol at mike@rosascience.org.

Sunset with Wind Turbine

Offshore Wind Project Monitoring Framework and Guidelines

This working group/committee developed a framework and guidelines that outline critical elements to include in offshore wind fisheries project monitoring plans. The working group was comprised of representatives from offshore wind developers, state and federal agencies, academia, and the fishing industry. A complete list of working group/committee members can be found on page 52 of the framework and guidelines.