Spring Break
Marine biologist sees obstacles for offshore energy alternatives
Chris Curtis
Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: News
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.
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.
