On or around June 28, 2024, the Wildlife Conservation Society will be deploying soundtrap acoustic recorders within Lease Area OCS-A 0544 (Vineyard Mid-Atlantic) and other Mid-Atlantic lease areas (Table 1), as part of the NYSERDA-funded Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) project. Seven recorders will be deployed throughout multiple lease areas within the New York Bight. These recorders will monitor the presence of cetaceans, including whales and dolphins, as well as ambient noise, over a period of two years.

In a leave-no-trace design, recorders are bottom mounted and suspended approximately two meters above the seafloor. Recorders will be retrieved after five months and moved to other study locations.