Abstract
APEM and Normandeau were contracted by Equinor to provide monthly aerial digital survey data of the Empire Wind offshore wind lease area from November 2017 until October 2018.
The aims and objectives of the work required by Equinor were to assess the abundance and distribution of primarily birds present in the Empire Wind offshore wind lease area, and also to gather information on other marine fauna such as marine mammals, sharks, rays, and turtles.
These surveys will provide the baseline information required for conducting impact assessments and will meet the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM's) regulatory requirements for environmental review of Wind Energy Areas. The Survey Area referred to herein comprises of the Empire Wind offshore wind lease area (its proposed turbine array footprint) plus a 4 km (2.5 miles) buffer surrounding it.
The Survey Area data in this report represent the total number of birds, other marine fauna, and incidental occurrences recorded across all images (including those that may fall outside the proposed Empire Wind offshore wind lease area plus buffer region).
To meet the objectives of the project, images were captured using a grid-based survey design with a 1.5 cm ground sampling distance (GSD). Images were analyzed by APEM and quality assurance was undertaken by Normandeau. This report describes the results of the November 2017 survey.