Abstract
There is increasing interest in offshore wind development, which is likely to be sited in deeper waters (i.e., the continental slope) on the US west coast as compared to wind installations in northern Europe and the US east coast or to proposed wave energy deployments. While many environmental interactions of marine renewable energy (MRE) deployments have been considered, a certain effect will be localized changes to the seabed, potentially affecting benthic invertebrates living in or on the seafloor. Previous work sponsored by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and conducted by Oregon State University (OSU) characterized seafloor habitats for benthic invertebrates on the inner to mid shelf (30 to 130 meters [m] deep). Deeper waters are less studied, and habitat suitability models are not developed for macrofauna (e.g., infauna) of the outer continental shelf and slope. Thus, for this study we sampled deeper waters (60 to 525 m) to expand the domain of the habitat characterization and of the individual species models. Improved models have the potential to inform regional spatial planning processes for future consideration of MRE projects and the necessary consultations associated with leasing (e.g., on Essential Fish Habitat [EFH]). Improved habitat suitability models could also improve site assessments needed for National Environmental Policy Act analysis and may reduce site survey requirements for lease holders.