Saving Seafood

Vineyard Wind Appoints Fisheries Liaison For CT

October 29, 2019 — Offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind has appointed Caela Howard its fisheries liaison for Connecticut.

Howard has spent the last decade working closely with fisheries in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and in this role, she will serve as the primary point of contact for fishing industry representatives in Connecticut. She will report to the company’s lead fisheries liaison, Crista Bank.

“Vineyard Wind is excited to welcome Caela Howard as our first Connecticut fisheries liaison,” states Lars Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind. “Caela brings extensive experience working closely with fishermen across southern New England, and we look forward to the insight she will provide as we continue building strong relationships with fishing communities throughout the region.”

Read the full story at North American Wind Power

Fishing insider embraces new role as Vineyard Wind liaison

September 24, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — In 12 years, research biologist Crista Bank spent a lot of hours at sea aboard local fishing vessels, but never once heard wheelhouse chatter about the industrial-sized wind farms planned a dozen miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.

“It wasn’t really a topic of discussion,” said Bank, the new fisheries liaison for offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind. “You would think it would be, something this huge on the horizon.”

Even for her, deep in research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science & Technology, the magnitude of what will be Vineyard Wind’s $2 billion, 106-turbine offshore construction project didn’t sink in until she happened to pass five turbines off Block Island two years ago.

“I saw them, and I was like, really?” Bank said of her reaction.

It may be that head-down, focused attitude of a researcher that allows Bank to empathize with what she says is a similar attitude of many fishermen — scallopers, lobstermen, pot fishermen, gill-netters, squid fishermen, small-mesh draggers, large draggers, inshore and offshore boat captains, charter boat captains, recreational and pelagic anglers — she knows and hopes to meet.

“I sort of see the fishermen’s perspective a lot more,” Bank said “I believe in offshore energy. I believe we need to do it. I have solar panels on my house. I’m totally for renewable energy.” But, Bank said, those turbines will be placed squarely where people make a living.

Bank might be best known now in the region for her fisheries research. But before that, she crewed aboard the tall ship Ernestina and was an onboard fishing vessel observer for the National Marine Fisheries Service. Bank considers New Bedford her home.

“Crista has an excellent track record in cooperative research with the fishing industry,” said Steven Lohrenz, dean of the UMass Dartmouth marine science school. Bank is knowledgeable about fisheries science and about the challenges being faced by fishermen, said Lohrenz, who first mentioned the Vineyard Wind job to Bank. Bank is also personable and a good communicator, he said.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

 

Vineyard Wind Appoints Crista Bank as Fisheries Liaison

July 30, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The following was released by Vineyard Wind:

Vineyard Wind today announced the appointment of Crista Bank as Fisheries Liaison. In this role, Bank will lead the project’s regional engagement with fishing industry representatives on Cape and Islands, the South Coast, Rhode Island, and along the East Coast.

A fisheries scientist, Bank brings extensive local, regional, national and international experience and deep knowledge of marine science and fisheries issues to her role at Vineyard Wind.

“We’re pleased to have Crista lead our efforts to address the important questions the fishing industry have raised about the impacts of offshore wind development on the marine environment and on sea life,” said Erich Stephens, Chief Development Officer with Vineyard Wind. “Crista will play a key role in ensuring that the first large-scale offshore wind project in the US helps establish a robust body of knowledge that will benefit the American offshore wind industry and the fishing community for decades to come.”

Most recently, Crista served as a fisheries biologist at the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at UMass Dartmouth, working on collaborative research projects with commercial fishermen studying cod, monkfish, and halibut. Previously, she served on the Schooner Ernestina, the only surviving 19th century Gloucester-built fishing schooner and one of two remaining examples of the Fredonia-style schooners, where she earned her 100-ton United States Coast Guard Captain’s license. Bank also worked on board traditional sailing vessels across the world, including journeys to the Indian and Atlantic oceans. She started her career teaching marine science at outdoor experiential education programs in New England, Southern California, and the Florida Keys. Crista earned a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from UMass Dartmouth and a Master’s degree in Fisheries Oceanography from SMAST.

In May, Vineyard Wind was selected to negotiate long-term contracts with Massachusetts’ electric distribution companies (EDCs) for construction of an 800-megawatt (MW) wind farm 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard; the project will provide the amount of clean energy used by over 400,000 homes across Massachusetts Vineyard Wind remains on schedule to begin site construction in 2019 and become operational by 2021.

About Vineyard Wind

Vineyard Wind LLC is an offshore wind development company seeking to build the first large-scale offshore wind energy project in the US, to be located 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Vineyard Wind, based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is 50 percent owned by funds of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and 50 percent by Avangrid Renewables. For more information, visit www.vineyardwind.com.

 

Comments to Vineyard Wind Draft Environmental Impact Report due June 8

May 23, 2018 — The following was released by Vineyard Wind:   

A reminder that comments to the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Vineyard Wind project are due June 8. The DEIR is prepared in accordance with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act, and as such is mostly concerned with project elements located within the Commonwealth, such as the transmission cables.

The public comment period will extend through June 8, 2018.  Anyone wishing to submit comments on the DEIR can send them to:

Secretary, Matthew A. Beaton
Attn: MEPA Office, Purvi Patel (EEA #15787)
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114

Or by email to purvi.patel@state.ma.us

The DEIR is available at the link here. Hard copies of the DEIR are available for viewing at the locations listed further below.

Vineyard Wind encourages comments to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office regarding the DEIR.  In addition, if you have any questions or comments for Vineyard Wind directly, please contact Nate Mayo, nmayo@vineyardwind.com, or cell phone number 617-840-4045.  Fishermen should contact Crista Bank, Fisheries Liaison, at cbank@vineyardwind.com.  Vineyard Wind also welcomes the opportunity to present to neighborhood associations and other civic groups—please contact Nate to schedule a time.

Draft Environmental Impact Report Hard Copy Locations

Hyannis Public Library

401 Main Street

Hyannis, MA 02601

South Yarmouth Library

312 Old Main Street

South Yarmouth, MA 02664

West Yarmouth Library

391 Main Street Route 28

West Yarmouth, MA 02673

Edgartown Public Library

26 Edgartown Road

Edgartown, MA 02539

Mashpee Public Library

64 Steeple Street

Mashpee, MA 02649

Learn more about Vineyard Wind by visiting  their site here.

 

Massachusetts: Fisheries scientist takes the spotlight in Fishing Heritage Center’s ‘A Day in the Life’ series

March 15, 2018 — The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center’s A Day in the Life speaker series continues tonight, March 15, with SMAST fisheries scientist Crista Bank.

Beginning at 7 p.m., Bank will share her story and discuss the cooperative research she is currently conducting with the commercial fishing industry.

Bank received her bachelor’s degree in marine biology from UMass Dartmouth and spent the first part of her career teaching marine science at outdoor experiential education programs in New England, Southern California and the Florida Keys.

She transitioned to working on board traditional sailing vessels and traveled from the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope, across the Atlantic, and eventually landed in New Bedford working on the Schooner Ernestina where she earned her 100 ton captain’s license.

She continued her science career first as a fisheries observer, and then as a fisheries biologist at the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) working on collaborative research projects with commercial fishermen studying cod, monkfish, and halibut. She received her master’s degree in fisheries oceanography from SMAST in 2016 and continues to collaborate with commercial fishermen from New England to North Carolina.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

NOAA grants SMAST $1.6 million for monkfish study

June 9, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass — Researchers at the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology have won a federal grant valued at $1.6 million to conduct research into the growth and movement of monkfish, NOAA announced Tuesday.

The grant is part of a unique “research set-aside” program that pays for at-sea research not with direct dollars but with fishing opportunities whose proceeds pay for the researchers and for the boat they are using.

In the case of SMAST, where Dr. Steven Cadrin and research technician Crista Bank will be doing the study, 250 days at sea allocated in the grant each year for 2016 and 2017 should produce $1.361 million to pay for the boat and $270,000 for the research over two years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The research set-aside program began with scallops, according to Ryan Silva of NOAA. “There are no federal funds awarded, instead there are fisheries resources,” he told The Standard-Times

Cornell University also won an award that is slightly larger than that of SMAST.

Silva said that the research set-asides are the concept of the New England Fisheries Management Council, and are unique to the Northeast fishery. “Periodically we hear from other regions,” he said, but to date none have duplicated this program.

NOAA said in its announcement that “SMAST will tag juvenile monkfish to improve monkfish growth estimates, a critical parameter for the model used in the monkfish stock assessment.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times