Maine Department of Marine Resources-Maine Department of Energy Resources, offshore mapping project, 2025, bathymetric survey, Maine Research Array and adjacent data gaps

This project is a bathymetric survey of offshore waters in the Gulf of Maine in and adjacent to offshore wind development areas conducted in summer and fall 2025. This follows a 2024 survey reported separately. The purpose of this project is to map the Maine Research Array offshore wind lease area, the 9-mile research strata surrounding the Research Array lease area, and potential cable routes to shore. A secondary goal is to fill bathymetric data gaps between shore and U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Wind Energy Areas by linking existing surveys with newly mapped areas. This survey produces bathymetry at 4m and backscatter at 2m resolution or better. Grab sampling was conducted at 30 sites in September 2025 to yield video of substrate and benthic epifauna, sediment grain size analysis, and taxonomic classification of benthic infauna. Wildlife observations of seabirds and marine mammals were collected during daylight surveys, and a passive acoustic bat monitor was used to collect information on bat use in this offshore environment.