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Energy and Environment Affairs Hosts First Meeting of Fisheries Working Group on Offshore Renewable Energy

Officials of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) will host the first meeting of the Fisheries Working Group on Offshore Renewable Energy on Monday March 14, 2011 from 3 to 5 p.m. in New Bedford to discuss the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Request for Interest (RFI) for Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Massachusetts.

The RFI, issued on December 29, 2010, is the first step in the multi-year federal leasing process for offshore wind energy development in approximately 3,000 square miles of federal waters off the Massachusetts coast. The purpose of the working group is to enable the fishing industry to inform the federal leasing process about commercial fishing interests in the RFI area.

At the request of the Patrick-Murray Administration, members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, and Massachusetts fishermen, BOEMRE is extending the RFI public comment period for an additional 30 days following the publication of an upcoming notice in the Federal Register. This additional time will enable the Fisheries Working Group to meet and develop recommendations addressing issues relating to the relationship between commercial fishing and offshore wind power development. The Fisheries Working Group will continue to inform the federal government as the leasing process proceeds.

WHO:
    * Peter Anthony, New Bedford
      Commercial Fisherman, Processor, Eastern Fisheries,
      Member, Mayor Lang's Ocean Fisheries Council
    * Rodney Avila, New Bedford
      Expert on Marine Safety
      Member, New England Fisheries Management Council,
      Member, Mayor Lang’s Ocean Fisheries Council
    * Brian Courville, Falmouth
      Commercial Fisherman, Charter Boat Captain
      Representative of Cape Cod Charter Boat Association
    * Warren Doty, Martha’s Vineyard
      President, Dukes County Fishermen's Association,
      Selectman, Town of Chilmark
    * Jim Kendall, New Bedford
      New Bedford Seafood Consulting
      Member, Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership
    * John Pappalardo, Chatham
      Chair, New England Fisheries Management Council,
      CEO, Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association
    * Professor Kevin Stokesbury, Westport
      Chair, Department of Fisheries Oceanography, UMASS School of Marine Science and Technology
    * Steve Welch, Hanover
      Commercial Fisherman - Gloucester, South Shore, New Bedford Ports
      Member, South Shore Fisheries Task Force
    * Edward Welch, New Bedford
      Commercial Fishermen, E & J Scalloping Corp
      Member, Fishermen's Survival Fund

An additional member, still to be named and confirmed, will be a fisherman representing Rhode Island. In addition, a representative from the U.S. Coast Guard will serve in an advisory role on navigation and safety issues. Officials of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), the Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Marine Fisheries, and EEA’s Office of Coastal Zone Management will also participate on the Fisheries Working Group.

WHEN: Monday, March 14, 2011, 3-5 pm

WHERE: New Bedford Harbor Development Commission
Wharfinger Building
52 Fisherman’s Wharf
New Bedford

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