Saving Seafood

Management & Regulation

Concerns swirl over impact of offshore wind farms on fishing industry

January 21, 2025 — With the growth of offshore wind farms there are many questions surrounding their impact. In the second of two stories about what researchers are finding, science correspondent Miles O’Brien takes us to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where local officials are trying to strike a balance between greener, renewable energy and a potential impact on the critical fishing industry in that region.

Read the full article at PBS

RODA’s Statement in Response to Executive Order on Temporary Withdrawal of Offshore Wind Leasing and Permitting

January 21, 2025 — The following was released by the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance:

Today, we extend gratitude to President Trump for his decision to temporarily withdraw all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from consideration for new or renewed wind energy leasing. This important move recognizes the vital role our communities, industries, and ecosystems play in the broader national interest. The decision is a much-needed pause that allows us to reassess the future of offshore wind development and its potential impacts on our coastal environments and local economies.

We are excited to collaborate with the new administration as they embark on the upcoming review of federal leasing and permitting practices for offshore wind projects. This is an opportunity to ensure that all voices—especially those of the fishing industry, local businesses, and environmental stakeholders—are heard as we move forward. RODA, and our members, stand willing and committed to work with government leaders as they undertake this critical review.

A particular cause for celebration today is the reprieve granted to regions that have yet to be subject to offshore wind leases. This gives these areas crucial time to engage in meaningful dialogue about the future of offshore wind and its compatibility with local priorities and concerns.

Additionally, we applaud the decision to halt the authorization of any further activities that could lead to navigational safety, transportation, national security, commercial and marine mammal protection interests until we fully understand the potential risks associated with offshore wind projects. Protecting marine life, particularly vulnerable species like whales, must remain a top priority as we explore renewable energy solutions.

RODA is committed to working collaboratively with the Trump Administration to ensure that any future offshore wind development is done in a manner that protects both the environment and the communities who call these coastal areas home.

Biden Administration approves SouthCoast Wind construction plan

January 21, 2025 — On the last business day of the Biden administration, a federal agency announced its approval of the construction and operations plan for SouthCoast Wind, a big offshore wind project that Massachusetts is counting on.

“We are proud to announce BOEM’s final approval of the SouthCoast Wind project, the nation’s eleventh commercial-scale offshore wind energy project, which will power more than 840,000 homes,” U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein said in a Friday statement.

“We are proud to announce BOEM’s final approval of the SouthCoast Wind project, the nation’s eleventh commercial-scale offshore wind energy project, which will power more than 840,000 homes,” U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein said in a Friday statement.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

Trump bars offshore wind leases in opening salvo against his energy nemesis

January 21, 2025 — President Donald Trump ordered a halt to new leases and permits for wind projects on his first day back at the White House.

The order stops short of freezing construction of offshore projects along the East Coast, as sought by wind opponents and feared by the industry’s supporters. But it does direct the Interior secretary to review existing wind permits.

The moves amounted to an extraordinary attack on America’s largest renewable energy industry, both on land and at sea.

Read the full article at E&E News

Feds lift Vineyard Wind suspension order; dozens of faulty blades to be removed

January 21, 2025 — Vineyard Wind’s suspension on installing the rest of its wind farm southwest of Nantucket was lifted by the federal government Friday.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement lifted the suspension after agreeing to an addendum of Vineyard Wind’s construction and operations plan Friday, originally submitted last month, “based on revisions Vineyard Wind made to its construction and operations plan,” a BSEE spokesperson said Sunday.

Read the full article at Mass Live

Trump tasks congressman with writing executive order he could issue to halt offshore wind

January 17, 2025 — President-elect Donald Trump tasked a New Jersey congressman and vocal critic of offshore wind with writing an executive order he could issue to halt wind energy projects.

Offshore wind is a major part of transitioning to an electric grid powered entirely by sources that don’t emit carbon dioxide when generating electricity. The power sector is responsible for nearly a third of the nation’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to end the offshore wind industry as soon as he returned to the White House. He wants to boost production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, which cause climate change, in order for the U.S. to have the lowest-cost energy and electricity of any nation in the world, he says.

Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew said he spoke with Trump by phone about a month ago and urged him to act on his campaign promise.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

BOEM Finalizes Fisheries Mitigation Guidance

January 16, 2025 — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has finalized guidance aimed at mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy projects on commercial and for-hire recreational fisheries. BOEM’s final guidance provides a national framework for addressing social and economic impacts on the fishing industry affected by offshore wind development.

This comprehensive final guidance, informed by extensive public input, establishes clear processes for the offshore wind industry to address potential disruptions to fisheries. It ensures consistency and promotes fair treatment of fishermen, regardless of their home or landing port.

BOEM initiated the guidance development process in late 2021 by issuing a Request for Information and opening up a 45-day public comment period. Using input provided during that comment period, BOEM then published draft guidance in June 2022 and opened another 60-day comment period. From late 2021 through August 2022, BOEM held seven workshops to engage stakeholders and gather input. Public participation was extensive, with nearly 200 oral and written comments submitted.

Read the full article at BOEM

Trump Again Vows To Stop Windmill Production—Here’s Why He Might Not Be Able To

January 15, 2025 — President-elect Donald Trump said the U.S. government would no longer subsidize new windmill farms and reiterated his stance that he doesn’t “want even one built” during his administration in his latest tirade against renewable energy—but Trump might not be able to block production of turbines altogether.

Key Facts

Calling windmills “an economic and environmental disaster,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday he doesn’t “want even one built during my administration,” calling them the “most expensive energy” that only works “with massive government subsidies, which we will no longer pay.”

Trump also called for all “dead and broken” windmills to “be ripped down ASAP” and included a video about debris from a broken turbine off the coast of Nantucket littering the beach.

Trump initially proposed “a policy where no windmills are being built” earlier this month, but, as The New York Times notes, he would not be able to control what is built on private land, and he could influence but not fully dictate what is built on federal lands since companies that have already been issued permits are legally allowed to continue their projects.

Read the full article at Forbes

In New England, climate change is moving fast. The fishing industry is not

January 15, 2025 — About 20 miles off the coast of Nantucket, Bill Amaru steers his fishing boat, Paladin, toward a school of summer flounder. Amaru cuts the motor, and crew members drop lines in the water.

For a minute, all is quiet.

Then the rods tug, the reels turn, and soon the deck is flopping with flounder.

Amaru hauls in a big one. “That’s a nice fish,” he says, tossing it into a cooler. “Probably about 2 pounds.”

Then he adds: “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then.” The crew chuckles. Amaru smiles and casts his line back into the sea.

Self-deprecating dad jokes aside, Amaru knows these waters. He’s been a commercial fisherman for more than 50 years — no small feat in a tough industry. And his expert eye sees the ocean changing. The most obvious shift: The water is warming and attracting different species of fish.

“Nothing is weird anymore out here,” he said. “Tropical is getting to be fairly common.”

The shifting species could bring new opportunities for fishermen. But the changes are coming so fast, the industry is struggling to keep up. Scientists, regulators and fishermen are all scrambling to adjust to a new reality.

The New England seafood industry generates more than $20 billion in sales each year and employs more than a quarter million people.

It’s also embedded in the history and character of many coastal communities, and the fabric of many families. Amaru’s son and grandson are both full-time commercial fishermen. He worries about their futures.

Read the full article at wbur

NH and Maine lobstermen push back against new size rule amid economic fears

January 15, 2025 — A new regulation on catchable lobster size could significantly reduce lobster hauls this summer, according to industry members, with local lawmakers expressing concerns about its impact on the Seacoast economy.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which oversees certain species along the Atlantic coast, is implementing a change that will increase the minimum size for catchable lobsters in states including Maine and New Hampshire over the next two years.

The regulation involves an increase in the size of the gauge used by fishermen to measure lobster length to determine if they can be caught or must be released. The minimum gauge size will rise from 3.25 inches to 3.375 inches by July 1, 2025, as stated by the ASMFC. This size will further increase to 3.5 inches by July 1, 2027.

Read the full article at Seacoastonline