November 3, 2023 — Danish energy developer Orsted A/S declared Tuesday that it and Eversource Energy LLC are committed to the 704-megawatt Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island, a “final investment decision” that came the same day Orsted scrapped two large offshore wind projects off the coast of New Jersey.
ALASKA: Alaska seafood harvesting jobs decline as fish crashes, pandemic and other factors take toll
November 3, 2023 — Alaska fish-harvesting employment declined in 2022, a continuing yearslong slide caused by a variety of factors, according to an analysis by the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Employment for people harvesting seafood dropped by about a quarter from 2015 to 2022, according to the analysis, published in the November issue of Alaska Economic Trends, the department’s monthly research magazine.
The industry lost ground compared to other sectors of the Alaska economy, the analysis found. Seafood harvesting accounted for 7.3% of Alaska jobs in July of 2021, but only 5.7% of Alaska jobs were in seafood harvesting in the following July. Fishery work is highly seasonal, and July is the peak month for it.
US House, Senate jousting over FDA, NOAA funding
November 3, 2023 — The U.S. Senate passed a package of appropriations bills in late October that included funding for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The legislation includes key provisions for the domestic seafood industry and brings Congress one step closer to providing funding for fiscal-year 2024 and avoiding a government shutdown. Congress agreed to a last-minute deal in September to avert a partial shutdown, but that agreement expires 17 November.
‘Planet Money’: Why offshore wind is facing headwinds
November 3, 2023 — The Gulf of Mexico this summer saw the first-ever opening of an auction of leases for offshore wind production. But the expectations for robust bidding haven’t been realized.
The Biden administration this week announced what it called the largest offshore wind project in the nation. The government says the opening of a fifth offshore wind operation, this one off the Virginia coast, comes with the potential to power 900,000 homes. But the wind appears to have gone out of the sails for this summer’s inaugural round of bidding for wind leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Our colleagues over at The Indicator From Planet Money, Wailin Wong and Darian Woods, looked into why.
DARIAN WOODS, BYLINE: So this year, in the late summer, Mike Celata was in his New Orleans office early. While there was a hurricane that happened to be brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, Mike was fixated on his screen for another big event for the Gulf.
WAILIN WONG, BYLINE: Mike had helped set up the first ever auction for offshore wind farms in the region. He works for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. That’s a government agency that manages how the sea owned by the government is used for things like drilling oil or gas.
MIKE CELATA: It was a lot of anticipation. We were just waiting to see what those first bids would be. A lot of excitement.
WONG: This auction could mean pretty high bids. A similar patch of ocean near New York had gone for over $1 billion.
WOODS: But the sea patches did not go for anywhere near $1 billion. One of the three sites sold for 5.5 million. And two didn’t even get any offers.
MARK REPSHER: It was a little deflating.
WOODS: Mark Repsher, a partner at PA Consulting, which is a clean energy advisory that worked with some of the energy companies that were considering bidding for the auction.
WONG: Mark says there are some downsides to the area. If you think about what other kinds of electricity you could generate in the region, like in Texas, there are cheaper options than to drill giant windmills into the Gulf floor, like solar power.
As industry struggles, federal, state offshore wind goals could get tougher to meet
November 3, 2023 — Good news or bad news first? Because there was plenty of both this week for the fledgling U.S. offshore wind industry.
On Halloween, the Biden administration announced that the nation’s largest planned offshore wind development, Dominion Energy’s 2,600 megawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, received its last major federal approval.
The same day, however, Danish wind giant Ørsted pulled the plug on a pair of projects (Ocean Wind 1 and 2) that were planned off the coast of New Jersey, citing climbing interest rates, inflation and “supply chain bottlenecks.” The news touched off a firestorm in New Jersey, which has set some of the most aggressive offshore wind goals in the country and gone to considerable lengths to plan the transmission upgrades needed to bring all that power ashore.
The same financial headwinds have many U.S.offshore wind developers looking to renegotiate deals as the costs of their projects climb. And it’s casting some doubt on whether states and the Biden administration will be able to hit their offshore wind targets on time.
Groundfish Forum predicts wild-caught whitefish supplies will remain flat in 2024
November 3, 2023 — The International Groundfish Forum, an organization representing the global groundfish sector, is predicting the global supply of wild-caught whitefish will remain flat in 2024 as some species see gains while others see big drops.
The forum, which met in Athens, Greece in October, predicted that the total supply of wild-caught whitefish would be 7.042 million metric tons (MT), down just 1,000 MT from the 7.043 million MT available in 2023. The slight decrease still represents a higher supply than 2022, when the industry had 6.938 million MT to work with.
Read the full article at SeafoodSource
States Schedule Public Hearings on Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Addendum II
November 3, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which considers management measures designed to support stock rebuilding by reducing fishing mortality to the target in 2024. Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar, or in a hybrid format. Additional details on participating in the webinars can be found later in this release.
The public hearing details follow:
| Date and Hearing Format | State/Agency | Contact |
| Wednesday, November 15
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection & Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below. |
Joe Cimino (NJ) 609.748.2063
814.359.5115 |
| Thursday, November 16
In-person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Connecticut Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection
Hearing Location: CT DEEP Marine Headquarters Boating Education Center (“Back Building”) 333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme CT 06371 |
Justin Davis
860.447.4322 |
| Tuesday, November 28
Hybrid Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
|
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife
Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
Hearing Location: Kent County Conservation District 1679 S. Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901 |
John Clark302.739.9108 |
| Thursday, November 30
In-person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management
Hearing Location: University of Rhode Island Bay Campus Corless Auditorium 215 South Ferry Road, Narraganset, RI 02882
|
Jason McNamee401.222.4700 x2772414 |
| Monday, December 4
In-person Hearing 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. |
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Hearing Location: NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources 123 Kings Park Blvd (inside Nissequogue River State Park), Kings Park, NY 11754
Note: NYSDEC will provide a listen-only livestream link to be posted on the NYSDEC calendar.
|
John Maniscalco631.444.0437 |
| Tuesday, December 5
In-person Hearing 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. |
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
Hearing Location: Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Admiral’s Hall 101 Academy Dr., Buzzards Bay, MA 02532 |
Michael Armstrong978.619.0012 |
| Wednesday, December 6
In-person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
Hearing Location: Calvary United Methodist Church, Basement Room 301 Rowe Blvd, Annapolis, MD 21401 |
Michael Luisi443.758.6547
|
| Thursday, December 7
In-person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
|
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
Hearing Location: Virginia Marine Resources Commission 380 Fenwick Rd, Building 96 Fort Monroe, VA, 23651 |
Pat Geer
757.247.2236
|
| Monday, December 11
Hybrid Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept.
Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
Hearing Location: Urban Forestry Center 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801 |
Cheri Patterson603.868.1095 |
| Tuesday, December 12
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Potomac River Fisheries Commission &
District of Columbia Dept. of Energy and Environment
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar details are below.
|
Ingrid Braun-Ricks(PRFC) 804.750.3824
Daniel Ryan (DC) 202.597.1244 |
| Thursday, December 14
Hybrid Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
|
Maine Dept. of Marine Resources
Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The virtual Microsoft Teams link is here, and additional instructions are below.
Hearing Location: Maine DMR Office – Augusta Room 118, Marquardt Building 32 Blossom Lane, Augusta, ME 04330 |
Megan Ware
207.446.0932
|
| Monday, December 18
In-person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Hearing Location: NYSDEC Region 3 Headquarters 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561
Note: NYSDEC will provide a listen-only livestream link to be posted on the NYSDEC calendar. |
Jessica Best 845.256.3009 |
The Board initiated Draft Addendum II in May 2023 in response to the low probability of meeting the 2029 stock rebuilding deadline if the unexpectedly high 2022 fishing mortality rate continues. The Draft Addendum builds upon the 2023 emergency action by considering management measures intended to reduce fishing mortality to the target level in 2024. For the recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum proposes recreational bag and size limit options for the ocean and Chesapeake Bay regions, including options with different limits for the for-hire modes. To address concerns about recreational filleting allowances and compliance with recreational size limits, the Draft Addendum includes an option that could establish minimum requirements for states that authorize at-sea/shore-side filleting of striped bass. For the commercial fishery, the Draft Addendum proposes a quota reduction option. The Draft Addendum also proposes an option that would enable the Board to respond to the results of the stock assessment updates more quickly, via Board action, if the stock is not projected to rebuild by 2029.
Webinar Instructions
For all virtual or hybrid hearings (except for Maine), please note that in order to comment during virtual webinar hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email or U.S. mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 631.992.3221 and enter access code 895-407-507.
For all virtual or hybrid hearings (except for Maine), please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register for a public hearing webinar. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone.If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.
For virtual participation at the hybrid Maine public hearing, the Microsoft teams meeting link is available here. The Meeting ID is 249 648 735 389 and the Passcode is UXEtrQ. For audio only, you can call 207.209.4724 with conference ID 397 100 101.
For the listen-only livestream of the New York public hearings, the livestream links will be posted to the NYSDEC calendar at https://www.dec.ny.gov/calendar/.
Hearing Presentation Recording
For those who cannot attend any in-person or virtual hearings, the Commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the Commission’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment process. This recording will be available by mid-November.
Submitting Comments
The Draft Addendum is available at https://asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlStripedBassDraftAddendumII_PublicComment_Oct2023.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. All those interested in the management of Atlantic striped bass are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, which may be conducted via webinar, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on December 22, 2023 and should be sent to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or atcomments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Striped Bass Draft Addendum II).
If your organization is planning to release an action alert in response to the Draft Amendment, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740, so she can work with you to develop a unique subject line to enable us to better organize and summarize incoming comments for Board review.
Offshore Wind Firm Cancels N.J. Projects, as Industry’s Prospects Dim
November 2, 2023 — Plans to build two wind farms off the coast of New Jersey were scrapped, the company behind them said on Wednesday, a blow to the state’s efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and the latest shakeout in the U.S. wind industry.
The move, which will force Orsted, a Danish company, to write off as much as $5.6 billion, will crimp the Biden administration’s plans to make the wind industry a critical component of plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. High inflation and soaring interest rates are making planned projects that looked like winners several years ago no longer profitable.
“The world has in many ways, from a macroeconomic and industry point of view, turned upside down,” Mads Nipper, Orsted’s chief executive, said on a call with reporters on Wednesday.
The two projects, known as Ocean Wind 1 and 2, were destined to provide green energy to New Jersey. They were strongly backed by the state’s governor, Phil Murphy, a Democrat with national ambitions who stresses his environmental credentials but who has lately drawn scorn for falling short in combating climate change. On Wednesday he suggested that Orsted was a dishonest broker and insisted that the “future of offshore wind” along the state’s 130-mile coastline remained strong.
Mr. Nipper said Orsted thought that losses on the New Jersey projects would rise over time, so “the only sensible thing is to draw a line in the sand.”
Overall, the Biden administration wants to install 30 gigawatts of wind power in the United States by 2030, and officials in New Jersey had been aiming to produce 11 gigawatts by 2040.
Offshore wind company cancels project in N.J. Now what?
October 2, 2023 — Danish global offshore wind developer Orsted’s abrupt announcement this week that it is abandoning both of its massive projects planned off the New Jersey coast is a stinging blow to Gov. Phil Murphy’s ambitious goal of addressing climate change that threatens the state’s coast.
The company’s announcement Tuesday night was akin to abruptly snatching away key pieces of the state’s renewable energy puzzle. As of Wednesday, it was unclear how leaders would fill that void.
However, one key piece does remain in place: Atlantic Shores, the largest single wind farm yet approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU).
Orsted in its earnings statement cited economic headwinds as the reason.
“Macroeconomic factors have changed dramatically over a short period of time, with high inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain bottlenecks impacting our long-term capital investments,” said David Hardy, group executive vice president and CEO Americas at Orsted. “As a result, we have no choice but to cease development of Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2.”
Hardy said the company was disappointed and thanked Murphy and other state leaders who tried to kick-start the industry in the state, hoping to make it a hub for offshore wind in the Northeast.
‘Outrageous’
Murphy, however, was having none of it. His administration took significant political heat in backing recent legislation allowing Orsted to take federal renewable energy credits that initially state law allowed to go only to ratepayers.
“Today’s decision by Orsted to abandon its commitments to New Jersey is outrageous and calls into question the company’s credibility and competence,” the governor said in a statement. “As recently as several weeks ago, the company made public statements regarding the viability and progress of the Ocean Wind 1 project.”
Murphy said his administration is looking “to review all legal rights and remedies and to take all necessary steps to ensure that Orsted fully and immediately honors its obligations.”
State officials who backed offshore wind are “upset, frustrated, and disappointed,” said a senior administration official, who called Orsted’s decision a “setback” in the state’s aggressive goal of obtaining 100% clean energy by 2035. The official said the administration is proceeding with offshore wind because “it’s too important to our economic future. It’s too important for our environmental and energy needs.”
It could take time for the state to find, and approve, a new developer to replace the 2.2 gigawatts of energy that would have been generated by Orsted’s Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects — enough to have powered about 1 million homes.
Offshore wind is stumbling. Can Biden save the industry?
November 2, 2023 — The Biden administration is facing increasing pressure to take action to bolster the offshore wind industry after a major project was canceled in New Jersey on Tuesday, although options appear limited to ease financial hurdles facing developers.
So far, the administration is reiterating that the industry will continue to grow and that President Joe Biden’s goals for 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 will be achieved, even as many states and analysts say otherwise.
“Biden’s offshore wind goals look impossible at this point of time,” said Chelsea Jean-Michel, a wind analyst with BloombergNEF, a research and analysis firm.
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