Marine biologist sees obstacles for offshore energy alternatives

02/06/09 - Vin Malkoski, senior biologist at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, spoke yesterday regarding the challenges presented by the construction of offshore alternative energy projects.The issue is more complex than it might seem, Malkoski told a crowded auditorium last night at the University of Rode Island's Swan Hall.

"[There is] the perception that renewable projects are just green and they have no further impact," Malkoski said.

Malkoski went on to explain that the construction of renewable energy installations is similar to any other type of construction in the risks it presents.

Malkoski illustrated his point with slides. He showed past offshore construction projects including a gas pipeline passing through Boston harbor.

Photographs showed boats dredging the seafloor, which, while necessary for construction, not only disturbs organisms living on the seafloor, but also releases potentially harmful sediments into the water, Malkoski said.

The barges that serve as construction platforms create their own problems, as they require multiple anchors that may damage the seafloor.

Another slide showed a tiny lobster balanced on a human finger.

"What's interesting about these guys, cute as they are, is that their habitat needs are quite extensive," Malkoski said, indicating the tiny crustacean. "You alter that bottom, it's not like you lose a year class, you use several year classes," he said, explaining that lobsters take seven years to mature and spend much of their lives in one territory.

"There's a lot of things to think about, and these things take place irrespective of the construction project," Malkoski said.

Despite similarities, construction of renewable energy projects does offer unique challenges, according to Malkoski.

The sites proposed for construction of sustainable projects are often Public Trust waters, which are protected from most other forms of development.

"We have to give some consideration to developing areas that cannot be replaced," Malkoski said.

Placements of new projects are further made difficult by a lack of information, what Malkoski referred to as the "800 pound gorilla in the room."

A variety of site-specific data is required in order to make an educated decision regarding the site's fitness for development, Malkoski said.

According to Malkoski, this data should include information on the local geographical and biological characteristics, species diversity, relative abundance of organisms, and seasonal variations.

Most data available on ocean ecosystems is obtained through sampling random areas, and using these samples to infer information and make generalizations.

"There's a lot of limitation on what that data can do, but that doesn't stop people from trying to do more with it," Malkoski said.

Malkoski equated this approach to walking through a neighborhood during work hours on a weekday, seeing no one, and bulldozing the quarter based on that information.

Malkoski closed his talk with a list of recommended changes. He suggested the need for more data, including conducting more extensive studies, and extending studies over a time period sufficient to observe local patterns of change.

Fred Matera, a commercial fisherman, was among audience members to speak during the question and answer session that followed the talk.

Matera questioned Malkoski about the effectiveness of existing studies and the impact on the fishing industry.

"Are we willing to give up this valuable resource [fish] for what is an alternative energy, I believe, but a very costly one?" Matera asked.

Malkoski agreed with Matera's points saying, "They're absolutely the sort of questions people should be asking."

The talk was the first in a series of four presented by the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, a member-supported nonprofit organization unaffiliated with URI.