Saving Seafood

Fishermen Join Lawsuit Against Vineyard Wind After Blade Failure

July 25, 2024 — The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) has called for the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider the dismissal of a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior regarding the safety of Vineyard Wind’s turbines. The case, RODA v. Department of the Interior, is scheduled for oral arguments on Thursday.

Jerry Leeman, CEO of NEFSA, highlighted recent issues related to the Vineyard Wind project, particularly a blade malfunction that resulted in debris being scattered across important fishing areas. “The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) put the government on notice over two years ago that Vineyard Wind’s turbines aren’t safe. The recent blade disaster has scattered debris over a huge swath of historic fishing grounds, creating serious hazards for mariners and marine life,” Leeman stated.

Leeman raised concerns over the safety testing of the Haliade-X turbines used in the project. “As RODA’s lawsuit explains, there is no evidence Vineyard Wind’s Haliade-X turbines were ever safety tested. Fishermen are gravely concerned that they cannot withstand the volatile marine conditions of the north Atlantic. Now New England fishermen are paying a steep price for this criminal lack of oversight.”

Read the full article at Shore News Network

Fishing group asks court to find regulatory process unconstitutional

September 12, 2023 — A Maine fishing group is asking a federal court to find that the process used to regulate fisheries is unconstitutional because it places to much power in the hands of un-elected officials.

A lawyer for the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association and Harpswell fisherman Jerry Leeman filed the lawsuit Sept. 8 in the U.S. District Court in Portland.

The fishermen’s group describes itself as an “alliance of commercial fishermen dedicated to educating the public about seafood resource management and protecting the future of local commercial fishing in New England. It aims to promote regional economic strength, ecosystem sustainability and American food security.”

The plaintiffs went to court in response to a National Marine Fisheries Council policy known as Framework Adjustment 65, which, among other things, sets annual catch limits for several groundfish species, including haddock, cod, white hake and yellowtail flounder.

“Most notably, it slashes the overall commercial catch limit for haddock by about 80%. The Council also chose to cut the white hake commercial catch limit by around 13% and install a 10-year Gulf of Maine cod rebuilding plan that will further restrict access to the cod fishery,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit contends that when Congress approved the creation of the Fisheries Council, it immunized Council members from meaningful control by the President, his Commerce Secretary and through them the American people.

Read the full article at the Courier-Gazette