The UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST) is partnering with the New Bedford Port Authority on a new research project titled “Tracking and Modeling the Behavior and Position of Fishing Vessels and Their Towed Gears in Wind Energy Areas.” The project, funded by a $419,462 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, will examine how commercial fishing vessels and gear operate within and around offshore wind energy areas to better understand potential impacts and identify ways to support safe, sustainable coexistence between the fishing and wind industries. Dr. Steve Cadrin, professor of fisheries oceanography at SMAST, emphasized that the goal is to generate objective data by combining the practical knowledge of the fishing industry with scientific modeling expertise, working closely with local fishers to observe and model how commercial vessels operate within wind energy areas in real-world conditions. More information can be found here.
