Saving Seafood

East Coast ‘slow zone’ to protect endangered whales withdrawn

January 16, 2025 — Federal officials have withdrawn a proposed slow zone for ferries, ships and large boats along the U.S. East Coast after months of heated criticism from Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and other coastal communities. Whale conservationists lamented the move as a major loss, saying the proposal was a “much-needed” effort to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from extinction.

In a document filed Wednesday morning, officials from a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said they decided to withdraw the plan after receiving 90,000 public comments — many of which included requests for more public engagement.

“Despite its best efforts, [the National Marine Fisheries Service] does not have sufficient time to finalize this regulation in this Administration due to the scope and volume of public comments,” the filing said. “NMFS hereby withdraws the August 2022 proposed rule and terminates this rulemaking proceeding.”

Read the full article at Connecticut Public

Fishing Flotilla Protests at Still-Damaged Vineyard Wind Turbine As Debris Continues to Wash Ashore

August 26, 2024 — A flotilla of fishermen from across the East Coast gathered yesterday near the site of a damaged Vineyard Wind turbine to protest the perceived risks posed by offshore wind projects to the ocean and maritime communities. The protest, which also included a “Hands Across the Beach” demonstration on shore, highlighted growing concerns among fishermen about the impact of large-scale wind farms on their livelihoods and the environment.

Vineyard Wind, which has been constructing towering turbine structures off the coast, has faced increasing criticism from local fishing communities. The concerns have escalated following a turbine blade failure in July that left fiberglass debris in the surrounding waters. Fishermen fear that the turbines, which are taller than the Statue of Liberty, may not withstand the harsh winter conditions and powerful storms of the North Atlantic.

Read the full article at Shore News Network

New Study Examines How Wind Turbines May Affect Ocean Floor

August 14, 2024 — Over the next ten years, thousands of wind turbines will be installed along the Atlantic coast of North America. This will be the biggest change to the sea floor in the area since the last Ice Age ended about 14,000 years ago.

A new research study, conducted by Kevin D. E. Stokesbury, N. David Bethoney, Felipe Restrepo, Bradley P. Harris, and sponsored by the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation has been conducted to:

  1. Understand the differences between the sea floor in areas where wind turbines will be built and other locations;
  2. Help scientists predict how the ecosystem might change when the turbines are installed;
  3. Provide a detailed picture of the current sea floor, so future changes can be measured accurately after the turbines are in place. 

To understand what the sea floor is like now, scientists combined two large sets of data. One set comes from underwater camera surveys done from 2003 to 2019, and the other set is from geological studies dating back to 1966. They used this information to create detailed maps of the sea floor from Virginia Beach to the Gulf of Maine, down to a depth of about 300 meters. These maps show the probability of finding different types of materials on the sea floor, like rocks or sand, in specific areas.

Background

Offshore wind energy development goals are set to bring thousands of wind turbines to the North American Atlantic coast over the next decade. Such rapid development will significantly change the underwater environment. For example, currently soft seabeds (mud, sand, etc.) will have new hard structures introduced by wind farms (towers, foundation base materials, etc.). To understand the impact of wind farm development on marine habitats, we need to gather baseline information on the current state of these underwater areas.

What We Did
We studied the ocean floor along the East Coast of the United States using historical data. This involved using data collected from 2003 to 2019 by camera surveys from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology and marine sediment data from the United States Geological Survey dating back to 1966. We wanted to map the composition of the ocean floor before wind farm development began, so we looked at the percentages of mud, sand, gravel, cobble, shell, and rock in different areas. Then, we created maps to show where each of these types of substrate are found.


Photo: The six substrate types based on the Wentworth scale for the SMAST drop camera samples. Credit: Stokesbury, K. D. E., Bethoney, N. D., Restrepo, F., & Harris, B. P. (2024). Anticipating the winds of change: A baseline assessment of Northeastern US continental shelf surficial substrates. Fisheries Oceanography, e12693

What We Found
1) Across all of the areas we mapped, sand was the dominant bottom type (found in 59% of areas), followed by mud (34%), and gravel (6%).

2) Areas slated for wind farm development had different substrate types than the rest of the continental shelf. For example, wind farm lease areas predominately had a mix of sand (99% of areas) and shell (92%) as their substrates.

Looking Forward

Wind farm lease areas currently consist mainly of soft-bottom habitats with low percentages of harder substrates such as gravel, cobble, and rock. Wind farms will add a lot of hard structures to these areas, potentially altering the habitat and species that inhabit these areas, which will likely affect fisheries. The maps created in this study will help us monitor changes to the substrate after wind farm construction. This will provide a more comprehensive view of the impacts of offshore wind on ocean ecosystems.

The published paper on this research, which was led by Dr. Kevin Stokesbury. Dean of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology, is available here: “Anticipating the winds of change: A baseline assessment of Northeastern US continental shelf surficial substrates.” 

Environmentalists decry attempt to delay shipping rules meant to save endangered whales

July 3, 2024 — A Georgia congressman has proposed a yearslong delay in changes to federal rules meant to protect vanishing whales, prompting a rebuke from environmental groups who say the animals need protection now.

The delay proposed by Republican Rep. Buddy Carter concerns new vessel speed rules issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service that are being finalized by the federal government. The proposed rules, which are much anticipated by shippers and fishermen, would expand protective slow zones off the East Coast and require more ships to slow down.

The rules are designed to protect the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers fewer than 360 and is vulnerable to collisions with large ships. Carter’s bill states that it would prevent any amendments or updates to the right whale vessel strike reduction rule until Dec. 31, 2030.

The government’s proposed rule changes would “cause grave safety issues for recreational vessels and pilot vessels alike” and economic harm, Carter said in a statement. A hearing on Carter’s bill was held June 27.

Read the full article at Centralmaine.com

Study links increased vessel traffic to uptick in East Coast whale strandings

June 8, 2024 — More than 500 whales were stranded on the East Coast between 1995 and 2022. Many of those were discovered in our region.

WSHU’s Sabrina Garone spoke with Dr. Lesley Thorne of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Thorne led a study that looked into the possible explanations.

WSHU: Of those hundreds of strandings, most of those happened between 2016 and 2022. Your study took a look at some of the reasons for this. Could you take me through the major findings?

LT: We looked at patterns of large whale strandings relative to that of different threats to large whales. And we focused on humpback whales, which are the species that strand most frequently on the East Coast. Vessel strikes, where whales are struck and hurt by vessels, and entanglement in fishing gear are major threats that face whales globally. So, we looked at patterns of vessel traffic and fishing efforts.

And we also looked at activities occurring along the U.S. East Coast associated with offshore wind development. And what we found was that mortalities and serious injuries due to vessel strikes increased threefold during this time period post-2016. We did not find any evidence that offshore wind development, or site assessment surveys for offshore wind development, played a role in the increase in whale strandings. In short, our analysis suggested that vessel strikes were an important driver, and that vessel strikes were exacerbated by increases in traffic in key regions. As well as key changes in humpback whale habitat use and distribution.

Read the full article at WSHU

Alewife runs restored in East Coast rivers

April 9, 2024 — Anadromous fisheries require healthy watersheds, and while the Pebble Mine controversy in Alaska has driven home that point, on the other side of the country, Canadian and US entities are seeing positive results from the largest river restoration project on the East Coast. The International St. Croix River Watershed Board (ISCRWB) has been removing dams and building fishways along the border waters of the St. Croix River to restore alewife runs.

In 1987 more than 2.6 million alewives ascended the St. Croix River and dispersed into its various feeder streams. But that same year, at the urging of recreational fishermen concerned about the alewives eating bass eggs, the state of Maine ordered the closure of fish passages at the Vanceboro Dam, followed by closure of the Grand Falls Dam in 1991, and the Woodland Dam in 1995. By 2001 only 900 alewives entered the river.

The blocking of the alewife runs coincided with the decline of the cod and blackback (winter flounder) fisheries in the estuary of the St. Croix. Ted Ames, a fisherman and academic, won a MacArthur fellowship in 2005 for his analysis of years of survey data that showed alewives and cod present in inshore cod spawning grounds at the same time of year. “The cod would come inshore in the fall to spawn at the same time these young of the year alewives and herring were coming down,” said Ames. “It’s believed that the three-year-old cod were feeding on those small alewives. And there’s a correlation between the collapse of the alewives and inshore herring and the collapse of these cod spawning grounds. Spencer Baird was saying this back in the 1800s. If you dam these rivers you will kill the inshore fish stocks. The cod aren’t going to come in if there’s nothing in the dinner pail.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Recreational fishing has a data problem

April 8, 2024 — Governing bodies across the East Coast are rolling out this year’s limits on recreational saltwater fishing.

Why it matters: Some of those regulations are quite restrictive, and based partly on federal data that everyone knows is wrong.

  • Recreational fishing is no small business, generating over $100 billion annually in sales impacts and supporting nearly 640,000 jobs.

The big picture: Every year, assessments are made on the health of species, namely around how abundant a specific type of fish is, and how popular it is to catch.

  • When done right, the assessments are vital to preserving the country’s fish stocks.
  • The goal is to prevent anglers from overfishing a species. They should exist in enough numbers to naturally sustain, if not grow, their natural population.
  • That job has fallen to NOAA, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, since at least 1979.

Read the full article at AXIOS

States edge closer to regional fund for fishermen hurt by offshore wind projects

February 10, 2024 –A regional fund that would pay fishermen for damages caused by offshore wind is one step closer to being established. A New York state energy agency, in collaboration with Massachusetts and nine other East Coast states, took a concrete step Thursday toward establishing that fund.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority issued a request for proposals seeking a firm to design and develop the regional fund and a standardized claims process for the fishing industry. The process would apply regardless of which wind project caused the economic loss.

In as few as 16 months, the states hope to have a claims process established, a third-party administrator selected, and millions of dollars from offshore wind developers that can be doled out to affected fishermen of any Eastern port as needed. The fund is a response to several projects that are slated to come online along the Northeast amid a lack of any national solution.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

ASMFC Approves Plan to Rebuild Striped Bass Population

January 30, 2024 — To combat the declining striped bass population on the East Coast, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has adopted a new fisheries management plan known as Addendum II. This plan introduces critical changes in recreational and commercial fishing practices across Atlantic Coast states, aiming to reduce striped bass mortality and rebuild their numbers.

The update to the management plan follows the ASMFC’s emergency action last year, which reduced the maximum size limit for striped bass in recreational fishing to 31 inches. The decision reflects growing concerns over the dwindling striped bass population, which is attributed to various factors, including overfishing, environmental challenges, and climate change.

Opponents say Dominion’s offshore wind farm endangers whales. Scientists reject the claim.

December 11, 2023 — A series of whale deaths along the East Coast early this year has spurred an ongoing dispute over the burgeoning offshore wind industry.

Several of the deaths happened in Virginia Beach and Cape Charles. Two were humpbacks; one was a critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale, later determined to have been struck by a vessel. Another right whale was also caught entangled in fishing line off the Outer Banks.

Around the same time, more than a dozen humpback whales were found dead along the coasts of New Jersey and New York over the span of a few months – the latest in what scientists call an “unusual mortality event” stretching back to 2016. Warming waters driven by climate change are bringing humpbacks closer to shore, while cargo shipments carried on big ships are also on the rise.

Scientists later said most of the deaths were caused by ship strikes.

But some local politicians and national conservative pundits pointed the finger somewhere else: offshore wind development.

More than a dozen offshore wind projects are in various stages of permitting along the East Coast. The Biden administration considers the nascent industry a key part of its climate policy, setting a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of electricity generated from offshore wind farms by 2030, or enough to power more than 10 million homes.

In January, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson accused offshore wind projects of killing “a huge number of whales” on his show. Fox News also linked the right whale death in Virginia Beach to Dominion Energy’s project.

Thirty mayors in New Jersey called for a moratorium on offshore wind activity until further investigation into the whale deaths. The uproar also fueled a few “save the whales” rallies, including in New Jersey and Rhode Island.

Read the full article at WHRO