Saving Seafood

Offshore Wind Energy Development: A David vs Goliath Story

September 3, 2024 — The following was released by Midwater Trawlers Cooperative:

As the aggressive pursuit to privatize and industrialize our oceans with offshore wind
turbine factories marches on, the small yet powerful voices of coastal communities
around the nation continues to fight to be heard in the process. It is a veritable David
versus Goliath story.

Goliath takes many forms. Is it BOEM? The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is
uncompromising in their quest to lease out our oceans to multinational corporations for
industrial development. I have sat face to face in Washington, DC with BOEM director
Liz Klein who claims the president is driving this quest. So, is Goliath the Biden
administration? There is no doubt that this administration has put forth unrealistic goals
for offshore wind energy at the same time they dangle delicious tax incentives to
developers looking to line their own pockets. However, these goals are in direct
opposition with other presidential executive orders looking to elevate tribal voices,
protect food security, and pursue environmental justice for marginalized communities
most impacted by climate change. The hypocrisy is alarming.

Closer to home in Oregon, I believe that Goliath may be the elitists who live in urban
settings like Portland and Salem who believe that they know best what the coastal
residents of Oregon need. Oregon is not unique; however, this story is unfolding around
the nation where urbanites believe they know best for rural communities that they do not
live or work in. These people tout their desire to uplift marginalized voices while they
steamroll rural voices, whether it is Tribes, coastal community members, or commercial
fishermen. They attempt to downplay the concerns of coastal residents, claiming “we
just don’t understand”. But here’s the thing. We actually do understand.

Those of us from multi-generational fishing families know exactly how important a
healthy ocean is to our survival. So do those of us who are new to fishing. All of us, from
the old timers to the greenhorns, understand the importance of a healthy ecosystem in
the face of climate change. Oregon Tribes are practically begging for consideration of
their traditional values and protection of their culture – again, falling on deaf ears. The
question that begs an answer- Why is our deep knowledge coupled with our concerns
for the future of tribal culture, seafood production, robust coastal community economies
and a healthy ocean environment somehow deemed less important than the unrealistic
pursuits of the urban elitists, BOEM and the Biden administration?

As David in this story, regular people – commercial and recreational fishermen, tribal
representatives, marine scientists, environmentalists, and coastal citizens continue to
show up and speak in the face of the overwhelming force of Goliath. Our story is still
unfolding. In the original story young David slays the mighty Goliath with a slingshot
and five smooth stones. Our stones are 1) potential harm to the ocean environment
and marine ecosystem and the fish species and marine mammals who live there; 2)
negative impacts to commercial fishing operations and seafood production; 3) much
more expensive utility bills for consumers; 4) disruption and harm to tribal cultures; and

5) ruination of rural coastal economies dependent in part on commercial and
recreational fishing.

We know from the original story that the small can defeat the large. We know that
David’s bravery came directly from his confidence that he was doing the right thing. We
have our courage, our stones, and our slingshot is our united voice. Will others be
brave enough to join us and stand up for what’s right? Or will rural voices continue to
be ignored? Can David beat Goliath once again?

Heather Mann, Midwater Trawlers Cooperative

August 27, 2024

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Heather Mann currently lives in coastal Oregon and
works in the commercial fishing industry.

Op-ed: Fishermen are conservationists at heart, but we need federal investments to ensure healthy oceans

November 17, 2022 — Chris Brown is president of Seafood Harvesters of America and a commercial fisherman fishing out of Point Judith, Rhode Island, U.S.A. Heather Mann is executive director of the Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, a nonprofit trade association of nearly 30 fishing vessels based in Newport, Oregon, U.S.A., and a member of Seafood Harvesters of America.

Every morning, fishermen on both coasts are up early and heading out on the water in hopes of finding fish. Commercial fishing can be grueling work with long hours and unpredictable outcomes, and these days we’re seeing more uncertainty. We are witnessing big changes on the water and we need robust federal investments in science and technology for NOAA to improve data collection and fisheries management.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Seafood industry reacts to BOEM offshore call areas in Oregon

February 28, 2022 — The following was released by the West Coast Seafood Processors Association:

Offshore wind energy is coming to Oregon, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, but the seafood industry says it’s an oncoming windstorm.

BOEM plans to announce Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, three proposed “call areas” off Oregon. BOEM identifies these ocean areas with high wind potential as places companies might want to develop to harness the energy of offshore wind. These massive areas, covering 2,181 square miles, already are utilized by the fishermen to harvest nutritious, sustainable seafood proteins.

As part of its process, BOEM will solicit interest from wind energy developers before doing a basic environmental assessment of the areas. Comprehensive environmental studies will be completed later, after leases are already issued and enormous investments are already made.

“The effect of offshore wind development on fisheries, the habitat and the California Current is unknown. Placing giant turbines and anchors in a current system that is largely free-flowing and structure-free could cause irreparable harm to seabirds, marine mammals, fisheries management regimes and more,” Southern Oregon Ocean Resource Coalition (SOORC) Chair Susan Chambers said. “Robust environmental analyses need to be completed before areas are identified and leased, not after. Our productive California Current must be protected.

One area, known to commercial fishermen as “the mud hole” is known to be a highly productive shrimp bed, as well as a key area for sole harvested by groundfish fishermen. It is also recognized as an important feeding area for seabirds.

Fishermen already are questioning the value of placing turbines in areas off Morro Bay and Humboldt Bay, Calif. The early environmental analyses and area identification memos of those areas included very little socio-economic data regarding the potential effects on the seafood industry and no consideration of the cumulative impacts of potential additional wind farms off the U.S. West Coast.

“These turbines are going to blow me off the water,” Fishermen’s Marketing Association President Travis Hunter said. Hunter and his family have fished for years off southern Oregon and northern California and in the Humboldt Wind Energy Area. “These areas will displace hard-working fishermen.”

The seafood industry recognizes the value in renewable energy, but at what cost? Fishermen and processors have their roots in coastal communities. Displacing them in favor of large out-of-town – and frequently out-of-country – companies is a net loss.

“Developers are largely funded by foreign companies. Most of the profits, at Oregon taxpayers’ expense, will be funneled overseas. This is not ‘the Oregon way,’” Shrimp Producers Marketing Cooperative Secretary Nick Edwards said.

The future of several Oregon commercial fisheries, processors, fishery-related businesses, and the economic development coastal communities derive from those industries, hang in the balance.

“This is what results from government agency lip service versus authentic engagement,” said Heather Mann, Director of the Midwater Trawlers Cooperative. She was speaking in response to last night’s revelation that the Bureau of Energy and Management’s Oregon (BOEM) call areas for offshore wind energy development cover more than 2,000 square miles of productive fishing grounds in Southern Oregon. “BOEM has essentially chosen prime fishing areas for turbines threatening not just Oregon harvesting and processing jobs, but food security as well.”

Fishing groups all along the West Coast have been pleading with BOEM to have a seat at the table, not be a mime in the check-the-box outreach that often happens with government agencies.

“The importance of where these gigantic, floating wind farms are placed cannot be under-emphasized. If we do not get this decision absolutely correct, the fallout could have a dire domino economic effect on all Oregon commercial fisheries, including the vitally important Oregon Dungeness crab fishery,” Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission Executive Director Hugh Link said.

Read the release here

OREGON: Newport restores water to commercial users

July 9, 2020 — “The good news is, we’re up and running again in Newport,” said Lori Steele, executive director of West Coast Seafood Processors. “It’s really good news.”

As part of the city of Newport’s declared water emergency, production at fish processing plants on the Bayfront had been halted. This action was taken because the city could not supply its industrial users with water, due to the unexpected fouling of membrane filters at the city’s water treatment plant.

“There were concerns that we were going to shut down longer than just through the holiday weekend,” Steele told the News-Times early Tuesday afternoon. “There were financial losses and disruption in the fishing community when this happened, but we got though it.”

Read the full story at the Newport News Times