Atlantic Fish Telemetry: Movement and Habitat Selection by Migratory Fishes within the Maryland Wind Energy Area and Adjacent Sites

Baseline information is needed on the extent of fish migration corridors within BOEM-leased Wind Energy Areas. This two-year biotelemetry study deployed a before-after-gradient approach to evaluate migration behavior and habitat selection of two model migratory fishes, Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrhynchus and striped bass Morone saxatilis, in the Maryland Wind Energy Area (MD WEA). The MD WEA is located in the migration corridors for both species during periods of spring, fall and winter. Detected individuals within the MD WEA originated broadly, from Maine to South Carolina. During summer, Atlantic sturgeon were rarely detected and striped bass were absent in the MD WEA, suggesting a potential window for wind turbine construction. Dynamic habitat models identified cross-shelf gradients in depth and temperature that were predictive of seasonal incidence and whether test species distributions were within MD WEA or in adjacent shelf regions

USD: $437,022

2016-07-07 → 2020-02-02