Appendix P – Essential Fish Habitat Assessment Ocean Wind Offshore Wind Farm Essential Fish Habitat Assessment March 2021 Page 1/103 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 7 2. Project Description .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Construction of Offshore Infrastructure ................................................................................................... 10 Operations and Maintenance .................................................................................................................. 10 Decommissioning .................................................................................................................................... 11 3. Essential Fish Habitat Review .......................................................................................................................... 11 Project Area Benthic Habitat ................................................................................................................... 13 3.1.1 Wind Farm Area and Offshore Export Cable Corridors ....................................................................... 13 3.1.2 Estuarine Portion of the Offshore Export Cable Corridor .................................................................... 14 3.1.3 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation ........................................................................................................... 15 Project Area Pelagic Habitat .................................................................................................................... 19 3.2.1 Wind Farm Area and Offshore Export Cable Corridor ......................................................................... 19 3.2.2 Estuarine Portion of the Export Cable Corridors ................................................................................. 19 EFH Designations .................................................................................................................................... 20 Life History Characteristics of EFH-Designated Species ........................................................................ 22 3.4.1 New England Finfish Species .............................................................................................................. 22 3.4.1.1 Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) ...................................................................................................... 22 3.4.1.2 Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) ............................................................................................. 23 3.4.1.3 Monkfish (Lophius americanus) .................................................................................................. 23 3.4.1.4 Ocean Pout (Macrozoarces americanus) ................................................................................... 24 3.4.1.5 Pollock (Pollachius pollachius) .................................................................................................... 25 3.4.1.6 Red hake (Urophycis chuss) ....................................................................................................... 25 3.4.1.7 Silver Hake (Merluccius bilinearis) .............................................................................................. 26 3.4.1.8 White Hake (Urophycis enuis) .................................................................................................... 26 3.4.1.9 Windowpane Flounder (Scophthalmus aquosus) ....................................................................... 27 3.4.1.10 Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) ................................................................... 27 3.4.1.11 Witch Flounder (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus) ........................................................................... 28 3.4.1.12 Yellowtail Flounder (Limanda ferruginea) ................................................................................... 28 3.4.2 Mid-Atlantic Finfish Species ................................................................................................................ 29 Page 2/103 3.4.2.1 Atlantic Butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus) ..................................................................................... 29 3.4.2.2 Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) ...................................................................................... 31 3.4.2.3 Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) ........................................................................................ 31 3.4.2.4 Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) ................................................................................................... 32 3.4.2.5 Scup (Stenotomus chrysops) ...................................................................................................... 33 3.4.2.6 Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) ................................................................................. 34 3.4.3 Invertebrate Species ........................................................................................................................... 35 3.4.3.1 Atlantic Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) ....................................................................... 35 3.4.3.2 Longfin Inshore Squid (Loligo pealeii) ......................................................................................... 36 3.4.3.3 Northern Shortfin Squid (Illex illecebrosus) ................................................................................. 37 3.4.3.4 Ocean Quahog (Arctica islandica) .............................................................................................. 37 3.4.3.5 Surf Clam (Spisula solidissima) .................................................................................................. 37 3.4.4 Highly Migratory Species ..................................................................................................................... 38 3.4.4.1 Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) ................................................................................................. 38 3.4.4.2 Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) .......................................................................................... 39 3.4.4.3 Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) ......................................................................................... 39 3.4.4.4 Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) ......................................................................................................... 39 3.4.5 Coastal Migratory Pelagic Species ...................................................................................................... 40 3.4.5.1 Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) ................................................................................................. 40 3.4.5.2 King Mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) ................................................................................... 40 3.4.5.3 Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus) ........................................................................ 41 3.4.6 Skate Species ..................................................................................................................................... 42 3.4.6.1 Clearnose Skate (Raja eglanteria) .............................................................................................. 42 3.4.6.2 Little Skate (Leucoraja erinacea) ................................................................................................ 42 3.4.6.3 Winter Skate (Leucoraja ocellata) ............................................................................................... 43 3.4.7 Shark Species ..................................................................................................................................... 43 3.4.7.1 Atlantic Angel Shark (Squatina dumeril) ..................................................................................... 43 3.4.7.2 Atlantic sharpnose shark (Rhizopriondon terraenovae) .............................................................. 43 3.4.7.3 Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) ......................................................................................... 44 3.4.7.4 Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) ..................................................................................................... 44 3.4.7.5 Common Thresher Shark (Alopias vulpinus) .............................................................................. 45 3.4.7.6 Dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus) ........................................................................................ 45 3.4.7.7 Sand Tiger Shark (Carcharias taurus) ........................................................................................ 46 Page 3/103 3.4.7.8 Sandbar Shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) ................................................................................... 46 3.4.7.9 Shortfin Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) .................................................................................... 47 3.4.7.10 Smoothhound Shark Complex (Atlantic stock; Smooth Dogfish (Mustelus canis)) ..................... 48 3.4.7.11 Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) ............................................................................................. 48 3.4.7.12 Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvieri) ................................................................................................ 49 3.4.7.13