State joins RWSE to collaborate on offshore wind research

RWSE is new entity dedicated to regional planning, coordination, and collaboration on ocean wildlife research and monitoring in the development of offshore wind energy.

To further its commitment to responsibly advancing offshore wind, the State has recently joined the Regional Wildlife Science Entity (RWSE), a new organization dedicated to regional planning, coordination, and collaboration on ocean wildlife research and monitoring in the development of offshore wind energy.

Administered and directed by the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC), Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO), and the Coastal States Stewardship Foundation (CSSF), RWSE aims to create an essential forum for sharing information, standardizing data collection and monitoring protocols, defining key scientific research needs at project and regional scales, and amplifying the results of existing and ongoing research.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife participated in the steering committee that helped launch RWSE in July 2021. Read more about the formation of RWSE here. (PDF).

RWSE is the latest in a serious of partnerships Maine has formed on offshore wind. In the past year, Maine has also signed an agreement with the United Kingdom to share offshore wind and research, become members of the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, and joined the Business Network for Offshore Wind to create economic and investment opportunities for Maine businesses in offshore wind.