Potential Future Impacts (2016–2055) of Offshore Wind Energy Development on the Atlantic Surfclam, Spisula solidissima , Fishery in the US Mid‐Atlantic Bight Continental Shelf

Abstract

Offshore wind energy development on the Mid‐Atlantic Bight (MAB) portion of the Northwestern Atlantic continental shelf could have adverse impacts on the future of the Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima , fishery. The current and potential future areas designated for offshore wind energy development overlap with the present‐day and projected Atlantic surfclam fishing grounds and so could limit the fishery. Fishery impacts imposed by displacement of fishing outside wind farm areas and possible restrictions on vessel transit through the wind farms were simulated using a spatially explicit fishery model. The distribution of catch, hours fished, landings per unit effort (LPUE), time at sea, fishing mortality, and the number of fishing trips were projected for five time periods encompassing the period of 2016–2055. Simulations showed a significant decline in the mean of all fishery metrics (apart from LPUE) as the area of wind farm restrictions increased in scale. Impacts were consistently larger when vessel transit through and fishing within offshore wind areas were prohibited. Impacts were also larger for MAB regions off New Jersey and Delmarva than regions farther north and east. These simulations highlight the necessity of evaluating future conditions as warming temperatures shift the surfclam range relative to the immobile wind farm locations. The offshore wind industry must consider projected long‐term impacts of developmental expansion on surrounding sedentary benthic species and the commercially important fisheries that rely on them.

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