Saving Seafood

Northern Wind expanding its lobster traceability with right whales in mind

March 8, 2023 — New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Northern Wind is expanding its scallop traceability program into its lobster supply, with an aim of developing the technology to help reduce the risk of North Atlantic right whale entanglements.

Northern Wind finalized a partnership with traceability technology company Legit Fish in 2021, enabling full-chain of its North Atlantic scallop supply. That technology, which traces product origin, harvest area, and landing-date – verifiable to government records – will now be utilized in the company’s lobster supply.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford advocates for fishing industry compensation in response to offshore wind impact

March 2, 2023 — With offshore wind farms moving in, the fishing community faces the real possibility of a financial burden from revenue loss, officials say.

A proposed fisheries compensation fund has the potential to alleviate that burden from the likely physical and economic damages they will incur, including gear loss, habitat degradation, loss of essential fishing grounds and other impacts that will cause serious economic challenges to the fishing industry.

The New Bedford Port Authority supports the establishment of a common set of rules and procedures that would apply to the nine Atlantic Coast states that are working together to establish a framework that requires offshore wind developers to offer compensation.

Read the full article at Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford mayor has a plan to capitalize on the economic benefits of offshore wind

March 2, 2023 — The whaling industry put New Bedford on the map long ago by bringing the city commercial success, but in this day and age the focus has turned to offshore wind, in combination with the fishing industry as a way to drive New Bedford’s economy.

Civic and business leaders are joining Mayor Jon Mitchell in asking that investment in offshore wind be made a priority in Gov. Maura Healey’s statewide economic development plan as New Bedford strives to be a leader in both the offshore wind and fishing industries.

“We’ve been committed to the proposition that the two industries can coexist successfully, but we also know that it has taken a lot of work and will continue to take an awful lot of work,” he said. “We’re convinced that it’s in the interests of our city that we preserve our leading role as America’s leading fishing port and that we also lead on offshore wind.”

In a letter to Healey and legislators from committees focusing on climate and jobs, Mitchell recommends policies and approaches to strengthen the state’s ability to compete for investment the offshore wind industry with other states further ahead.

Read the full article at the Standard-Times

‘This is the war’: New Bedford at center of conflict between fishing, wind industries

February 16, 2023 — New Bedford is the top commercial fishing port in the country, but it’s also emerging as an epicenter of conflict between the fishing industry and the growing wind industry.

“This is the war, and we’re going to lose,” said Cassie Canastra, director of operations at Base Seafood, an electronic seafood auctioning company that her father and uncle founded in 1994.

While Canastra is accustomed to dealing with federal regulations on fishing, which she described as frustrating and unpredictable, she said navigating the wind industry feels different.

Read the full article at WPRI

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Port Authority submits comments in support of offshore wind fisheries mitigation and compensation

February 8, 2023 — The following was released by the New Bedford Port Authority:

On February 7th, 2023, the New Bedford Port Authority (“NBPA”) released remarks aimed at providing in-depth commentary on the (9) State Framework for Establishing a Regional Fisheries Compensation Fund Administrator for Potential Impacts to the Fishing Community from Offshore Wind Energy. 

Nine Atlantic Coast states are working together to advance and ultimately implement a consistent regional approach for administration of financial compensation (Regional Fund Administrator) paid by developers to address adverse effects of offshore wind energy development on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard’s commercial and for-hire recreational fishing industries.

The NBPA underscored that there is no port in the United States that has more interest, or more at stake, than the Port of New Bedford relative to this Regional Fund Administrator. It also emphasized that to have a truly legitimate and sustainable fisheries compensation fund program, any proposed framework, and the corresponding administrative process to distribute the funds, must be codified in federal law through an act of Congress.

The NBPA comments focused on the fact that potential losses to the fishing industry should not be based on geographic proximity to offshore wind projects, but instead should be based on losses incurred at landing ports. Therefore, it is imperative that shoreside income loss determinations be analyzed on a port-by-port basis based upon the actual losses incurred.

The NBPA believes a regional or cumulative approach to mitigation and compensation is essential. Cumulative impacts of multiple offshore wind developments across our entire coastline will produce collective impacts to fishing industries and the communities supporting them. A common set of rules and procedures established by this process will not only minimize the burden of fishermen seeking compensation but will give offshore wind developers clear expectations for their planning and development purposes. 

“We appreciate this opportunity to assist policymakers in better understanding the unique interests of New Bedford as the nation’s leading commercial fishing port,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell. “In our view, the two most important mitigation considerations for a Fund Administrator are ensuring access to mitigation funds for affected shoreside businesses in addition to vessels; and the importance of allocating funds commensurate with the value of the landings associated with respective ports. We look forward to a collaborative effort to establish a fair and equitable policy framework that addresses these concerns.”

As impacts from offshore wind will only grow in scope and intensity as more projects are built out, any framework must include ongoing scientific and economic analyses, technical aspects of fishery management and ecosystems, and socio-economic values, all with direct and substantial participation and collaboration with our fishermen.

MASSACHUSETTS: Quinn Fisheries to host Vineyard Wind CTV terminal in New Bedford

January 31, 2023 — Shoreline Offshore and Quinn Fisheries, a longtime operator in the New Bedford, Mass., fishing industry, will host a new base for crew transfer vessels to serve the Vineyard Wind offshore energy project at Quinn’s Pope Island terminal, according to a joint statement by Vineyard Wind and other partners in the project.

Vineyard Wind joint venture partners Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners announced Monday they have  today signed a partnership with Shoreline Offshore, a joint venture between the Quinn family, and SEA.O.G Offshore a leading integrated logistics provider, to build out a berthing and fueling area for crew transfer vessels.

Under the terms of the agreement, Vineyard Wind will provide $750k in funding through its Industry Accelerator Fund, which is co-managed by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), to support the acquisition of two floating barges to meet the berthing needs of Vineyard Wind and future developers.

The barges will be located on the northern side of Pope’s Island, which is fully protected by the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier, and help developers work during both the construction and operations and maintenance phases of the different projects. In addition to the barges, Shoreline Offshore will upgrade its existing facilities, including the addition of fuel tanks and other infrastructure needed to serve New Bedford’s multiple maritime industries.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: A net win: Recycling company works with New Bedford fisheries to repurpose their old gear

January 24, 2023 — When you love what you do, as is case for Caitlin Townsend, advocating for fishermen by collecting old fishing nets, ropes and other gear in New Bedford so it can be recycled feels like a dream job.

“If I knew that this was a job option when I was a kid, I would have said this is my dream job, because it is something I am so extremely passionate about,” she said.

It may not sound like everyone’s dream job, but Townsend feels she’s making a difference working for Net Your Problem, a fishing gear recycling service doing its part for the fishing industry as the Massachusetts representative.

“My dad taught me so much as a kid,” she said. “I learned from him that fishermen love the ocean more than anywhere and they would do anything to continue to fish. So programs like this and our business can really help people be able to continue to fish,” said Townsend, a resident of Truro.

Her father, Chris Townsend, fishes out of Provincetown, and she still fishes with him as much as she can. When she was a teenager, she fished full-time with him as his deckhand.

Read the full article at Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford fishing industry considers compensation for offshore wind’s impact

January 19, 2023 — Fishing communities are looking to the federal government to determine the best way to compensate them for potential threats to their livelihoods from the offshore wind industry.

Massachusetts and eight other Atlantic Coast states proposed the establishment of a regional fisheries compensatory mitigation fund administrator.

In June, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a draft framework for mitigating impacts to commercial and recreational fisheries. Stakeholders have until Jan. 31 to submit comments to a Request for Information released by the states on Dec. 12 to guide the process.

New Bedford Port Authority Executive Director Gordon Carr said the initiative and leadership of the nine states and the extensive work involved in issuing the scoping document for a regional fisheries mitigation fund administrator and seeking stakeholder input through the RFI process is greatly appreciated.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Baker announces offshore wind awards — millions coming to New Bedford, Somerset projects

December 22, 2022 — As Gov. Charlie Baker’s time in office comes to a close, one of his final official acts is on a topic that has been a top priority for his administration: clean energy — specifically the Offshore Wind Ports Challenge to support the development of offshore wind power.

“Today, we’re going to announce $180 million worth of awards,” Baker said Tuesday.

Baker, along with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Energy Secretary Bethany Card announced recipients of the Offshore Wind Ports Challenge Tuesday inside the Technology Testing Center Large Blade Facility in Charlestown. The Offshore Wind Ports Infrastructure Investment Challenge is a competitive funding opportunity opened earlier in the year which seeks to expand and develop port infrastructure at three key harbors along the Massachusetts coast: New Bedford, Somerset and Salem.

“The 2050 decarbonization roadmap makes offshore wind a centerpiece of our approach to achieve net zero,” Card said.

The awarded money is going to a variety of firms that are working on the infrastructure component of making Massachusetts’ clean energy goals a reality.

Read the full article at South Coast Today

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford among local communities awarded grants through Seaport Economic Council

December 16, 2022 — The Baker-Polito Administration has announced over $11 million in Seaport Economic Council grants for 24 projects, including in New Bedford, Fall River, Fairhaven, Dartmouth and Marion.

The grants will help 20 coastal communities advance projects that benefit commercial maritime industries, improve resident and visitor access to waterfront assets, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and advance future dredging. The grants were approved at Tuesday’s meeting of the Seaport Economic Council, chaired by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito at Plymouth Town Hall, according to a press release.

Read the full article South Coast Daily