October 23, 2025 — Across every U.S. coast, there is a push for a changing horizon. Towering turbines and wave-energy buoys could steadily multiply in the same water where generations of commercial fishermen have hauled gear.
What began as pilot programs in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest has expanded into full-scale federal-led rounds off Massachusetts, New York, California, and the Gulf of Maine, marking a new era of ocean use and industrial overlap.
Supporters call it a long-overdue step towards decarbonizing America’s energy supply, but for commercial fishermen, it’s a shift that could rewrite where and how they make their living.
As the push for clean energy accelerates, offshore wind and wave projects are becoming a growing presence along the U.S. coastline. While these developments aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they also bring new challenges to fishermen working in already crowded and heavily regulated waters.