Abstract
APEM and Normandeau were contracted by Equinor Wind US to provide a second full year of digital aerial wildlife surveys of the ‘Empire Wind’ BOEM Lease Area OCS-A 0512. Surveys were carried out on a monthly basis from February 2019 through December 2019. The aims and objectives of the work are to assess the abundance and distribution of birds, marine mammals, sharks, rays, and turtles present in the Lease Area OCS-A 0512 over the course of a full year. The Survey Area referred to herein is comprised of the Lease Area OCS-A 0512, plus a 4 km (c. 2 NM) buffer surrounding it. The data in this report represent the total number of birds, other marine megafauna, and incidental occurrences recorded across all collected images. 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 annual report summarizes the information collected following the completion of 12 monthly aerial digital surveys of Lease Area OCS-A 0512 between February 2019 and December 2019.