Assessing the Utility of Protected Species Observer (Pso) Data to Fill Knowledge Gaps About Marine Species Distributions and Habitat Use

Offshore wind energy is rapidly expanding in the United States (U.S.). To responsibly develop wind energy, we need to address gaps in our knowledge of marine mammal habitat use, distribution, and response to wind energy development. Data collected by Protected Species Observers (PSOs; also referred to as Marine Mammal Observers or MMOs) can potentially help fill these knowledge gaps. PSOs are used worldwide to monitor for protected species occurrence and implement mitigation measures. We reviewed PSO data collected in the Wind Energy Areas in southern New England waters because systematic surveys for marine mammals occurred during PSO data collection in this area. We began with a comparison between data collection fields recommended by multiple U.S. federal agencies and data collection requirements in Marine Mammal Protection Act Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHAs) issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service. We then compared the recommended data collection fields to the data presented in publicly available PSO monitoring reports. Finally, we explored the possibilities for comparing the PSO data with the systematically collected data. We found that the IHAs required collection of the recommended data fields. Although the IHAs require submission of monitoring reports, they do not specify requirements for the monitoring reports or the formats in which the data fields should be recorded. We found that many data fields were not included in the monitoring reports and that the data fields and formats that were included varied extensively. The lack of data available in the monitoring reports severely limited our ability to compare the PSO data with systematically collected survey data. The only comparison possible between the data sets was whether the same species were seen at broad spatial and temporal scales. Even at these broad scales, we found differences in the species observed. We recommend standardizing requirements for the format of PSO data collection fields, standardizing the format of PSO monitoring reports, and making PSO sightings and effort data publicly available. If these three recommendations are adopted, PSO data could help to fill gaps in our knowledge about marine mammals in wind energy areas