Abstract
APEM and Normandeau were contracted by Equinor to provide monthly aerial digital survey data of the Lease Area OCS-A 0512 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 Lease Area OCS-A 0512, 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 Lease Area OCS-A 0512 (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 Lease Area OCS-A 0512 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 is the first of three quarterly progress reports to summarise the information collected following the completion of three aerial surveys of Lease Area OCS-A 0512: November 2017, December 2017, and January 2018.
The following information is provided in Section 3:
• The number of surveys conducted to date; and
• The dates, start and end times, and weather conditions.
The following information is provided in Section 4, 5, and 6:
• The number of birds species / taxonomic group;
• Maps showing the locations of birds and actual survey route; and • The status of data processing, error checking, and analysis.
Shipping information recorded visually from the aircraft or captured in the imagery has been provided in Section 7.
For surveys that have not yet been undertaken (May 2018 to October 2018), the currently planned provisional survey windows have been provided in Section 8.
The reports that are remaining as part of the requirements of Equinor and BOEM are:
• Second Quarterly Report to summarise data collected from the completed surveys: February 2018, March 2018, and April 2018;
• Third Quarterly Report to summarise data collected from the completed surveys: May 2018, June 2018, and July 2018;
• Annual Report to provide detailed information comprising the full 12 months of aerial survey data collected November 2017 to October 2018 inclusive.