The joint RWSC-MTS Technology Committee, which includes members from government, the private sector, and environmental nonprofits, in partnership with two US Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories (the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory), with support from the DOE and contributions from NOAA, BOEM, and Turn Forward, will host a series of virtual workshops aimed at assessing the state of the science regarding technologies, tools, and methods for monitoring marine mammals around offshore wind construction activities.

Please save the date for the first workshop in this virtual series on Thursday, April 18, from 1-4pm ET. Register here. The agenda and pre-workshop materials can be found here.

The RWSC-MTS Joint Technology Committee is hosting two events within the 2024 State of the Science Workshop on Offshore Wind Energy, Wildlife, and Fisheries​ in Stony Brook, NY from July 16-19, 2024. Registration to the State of the Science Workshop is required.

Mini TechSurge, July 18, 2024

A separate registration to the Mini TechSurge will be required, with no additional fee. Details will be posted soon.

The format will include roundtable discussion with short presentations and moderated questions with goals to:

• Facilitate Collaboration​
• Drive Innovation in Offshore Wind Technology​
• Generate Actionable Technology Recommendations

Provide feedback on potential topics

Potential topics for roundtable discussions and presentations include:

• Fisheries Survey Mitigation​
• Platforms (autonomous vehicles, buoys, vessels)​

The RWSC-MTS Joint Committee is taking feedback on content and presentations for the Mini TechSurge via its regular meetings (see above).

Sponsorship available:

• Gold Sponsors – $2,500 USD. Gold sponsors receive one (1) complimentary table at the Tech Café or TechSurge (TBD) and company’s logo will be on event signage. ​
• Silver Sponsor – $1,500 USD. Logo will be on event signage.​
• Other sponsorship available upon request​
• Contact programs@mtsociety.org

Tech Café

This event will take place during the State of the Science poster session.

Discussed format: Desktop demonstrations showcasing a range of tools and technologies offered by both technology service providers and others. ​

More information will be posted soon.​

The RWSC-MTS Joint Technology Committee is coordinating its activities with those sponsored and hosted by partners:

Upcoming:

• International Partnering Forum 2024
  • Host: Oceantic Network (formerly Business Network for Offshore Wind)
  • April 22-25, 2024 | New Orleans, LA
  • RWSC and collaborators proposed sessions related to technology development applications to advance offshore wind monitoring and mitigation.

• Detection, Classification, Localisation and Density Estimation (DCLDE) of marine mammals workshop
  • June 3-7, 2024 | Rotterdam, the Netherlands
  • Several individuals who participate in RWSC are leading workshops and attending
  • NOAA NEFSC’s Passive Acoustics Branch is hosting two workshops at DCLDE conference on June 3, 2024. The workshops are titled “Introduction and Updates to The Low-Frequency Detection and Classification System (LFDCS)” and “Introduction to the Dive Depth Detection (3D) method: leveraging surface reflections to estimate whale depth and improve density estimation, an example using deep diving echolocators”.

• State of the Science Workshop on Offshore Wind, Wildlife, and Fisheries
  • Host: NYSERDA
  • July 16-19, 2024

• North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium – Workshops and Annual Meeting
  • October 22-24, 2024
  • virtual and in-person, Providence, RI

Past:

• Predictive tools for North Atlantic Right Whales Workshop
  • Host: BOEM
  • December 2023

• North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Risk Reduction Technology Workshop
  • Host: NOAA Fisheries
  • March 5-7, 2024 | Arlington, VA

Support from several partners across Sectors for providing capacity for workshops to advance Science Plan recommendations:​

• RWSC will ensure consistency with Science Plan objectives/recommendations and that RWSC partners have the opportunity to participate.​
• The Marine Technology Society (MTS) will engage their Offshore Renewable Energy Committee and other MTS community members.​
• DOE’s National Laboratories (NREL and PNNL), under the leadership of the RWSC and their Technology Subcommittee and in consultation with NOAA, BOEM, and DOE, will convene a group of experts and relevant stakeholders to discuss available whale detection technologies.​
• Opportunity to leverage NOWRDC-funded technology gap/readiness analysis by Advisian/BRI.​
• Use next NYSERDA State of the Science Workshop (July 2024) as opportunity to hold workshop sessions and/or technology showcases.​
• NOAA & BOEM leadership, ACP, and eNGOs supportive and commit to participate. Read the summary of the Nov. 1, 2023 Whales & Offshore Wind Technology Summit.​

The RWSC-MTS Joint Technology Committee is considering ways to engage at the MTS Oceans meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia from September 23-26, 2024.

Abstract Submission | Due April 19, 2024: https://halifax24.oceansconference.org/submit-paper-poster/​​

The MTS Offshore Renewable Energy Committee is submitting an abstract to hold a town hall.​