Floating offshore wind (FOSW) holds great promise but also great uncertainties for oregon

Oregon State University (OSU) was awarded $1.087 million under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469) on August 1, 2025, to conduct a comprehensive Fisheries Vulnerability Assessment addressing the potential impacts of floating offshore wind (FOSW) development on Oregon's commercial fisheries. The two-year project, extending through July 31, 2027, will be executed in partnership with scientists from the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center. This assessment will deliver science-based analysis designed to inform community engagement and decision-making during Oregon's FOSW development process.

The primary deliverables include: (1) an evaluation of how FOSW development in designated Bureau of Ocean Management call areas will impact key Oregon fisheries and dependent commercial fishing communities; (2) analysis of how FOSW impacts interact with broader ocean and market condition changes; and (3) identification of trade-offs between FOSW development and fisheries operations, along with future scenarios to minimize negative impacts while maximizing benefits. By providing timely, evidence-based information on fisheries vulnerability, the project addresses critical uncertainties regarding FOSW development and supports informed decision-making for stakeholders concerned with fisheries access, operational viability, and livelihoods.

With the bureau of ocean management identification of specific call areas in oregon, the states commercial fisheries are concerned for the unknown impacts of FOSW development on the fisheries, access to the fisheries, and livelihoods. Oregon state university is proposing a fisheries vulnerability assessment from FOSW development to help provide timely, science-based information that can better support science-informed community engagement in the challenging and complex FOSW development process. To implement this vulnerability assessment, OSU will partner with scientists at the NOAA northwest fisheries science center. Objectives of this project include: 1) how will floating offshore wind development in oregon impact the key oregon fisheries and the commercial fishing communities that rely on the health of these fisheries? 2) how will impacts on the fisheries from changing ocean and market conditions interact with impacts from floating offshore wind development? 3) what are the trade-offs between floating offshore wind and fisheries? What are future scenarios where identified impacts on fisheries might be minimized and benefits maximized?