Saving Seafood

Fishermen’s Energy, EDF Renewables to Start Ocean Wind Power Off New Jersey

September 12, 2018 — On Sept. 5, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities deemed the application by EDF Renewables and Fishermen’s Energy for the Nautilus Offshore Wind project is complete.

The BPU has 90 days from Aug. 1 to review the project and make a decision on whether to approve the small-scale project to be located approximately 2.8 miles off the coastline of Atlantic City.

According to a press release from EDF and Fishermen’s Energy, once approved construction would start immediately and could be completed in 2020.

The project is expected to be comprised of three wind turbines with a combined capacity of up to 25 megawatts (MW).

“It’s a crucial first step toward implementing the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act and building a workforce capable of meeting Gov. Phil Murphy’s statewide goal of 3,500 MW of offshore wind generation by 2030,” said EDF spokesperson Cathy Rought.

Nautilus Offshore Wind is expected to employ about 600 workers for a year during construction, as well as additional jobs during operation and maintenance. New Jersey residents across the state could expect to begin receiving power generated by Nautilus Offshore Wind as early as 2021. The company estimates that for the average New Jersey electric consumer, the additional cost of power will amount to about $1.76 per year. At the same time it would offset 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide. It will also serve as a laboratory for new avian monitoring (bird strikes) and marine mammal impacts.

“Nautilus will make it possible for Atlantic City to become the birthplace of an emerging industry, creating new jobs and sustainable economic growth,” said New Jersey Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo (Atlantic County). “When approved, the project will be the start of an energy transformation that will allow for a brighter and cleaner future here in Atlantic City, in Atlantic County and across the state.”

According to EDF and Fishermen’s Energy, an independent analysis showed that Nautilus is expected to increase New Jersey’s total economic output by $150 million with construction by 2020. Maintaining the offshore wind project could add $16 million annually for the state, with a projected economic and environmental net benefit of $235 million.

Read the full story at The Sand Paper

US East Coast could build nearly 9 GW of offshore wind capacity over next decade

September 10, 2018 — The US East Coast is leading the nation’s charge toward developing an offshore wind industry, and while the country only has 30 MW of offshore wind capacity installed currently, if goals are met and announced projects are built, the East Coast could have nearly 9 GW of offshore wind capacity by the 2030s.

The US has a long way to go in closing the gap with Europe in terms of offshore wind capacity, but with several East Coast states committing to achieve aggressive offshore wind development goals, the country could make considerable progress over the next decade.

Europe had nearly 16 GW of total installed offshore wind capacity at the end of 2017, according to trade group Wind Europe, compared with just one operating facility in the US — Deepwater Wind’s 30-MW Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island.

New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts are leading the way when it comes to setting offshore wind development goals. New York has a target to receive 2.4 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 and plans to issue requests for proposals for 800 MW in fourth-quarter 2018.

Not to be outdone, New Jersey has a goal of 3.5 GW of offshore wind generation by 2030. The state’s Board of Public Utilities Wednesday accepted an application from EDF Renewables and Fishermen’s Energy for the small-scale 25-MW Nautilus Offshore Wind project that would be located off the Atlantic City coast and could be generating power by 2021. Building a smaller project first has been touted by the companies as a way to kick start New Jersey’s offshore wind industry.

Read the full story at S&P Global

Have bluefish changed their habits?

September 4, 2018 — A fisherman dragging a burlap sack full of 10-pound bluefish off a party boat following a night of fishing used to be a familiar sight at the Shore.

And it may be again, but the habits of the once-dependable fish seem to have changed, at least in the present.

What is causing them to change their behavior is puzzling fishermen and federal fishery managers who appear to have hit a wall trying to figure out the best way to utilize the fish.

By all indications the numbers of bluefish up and down the East Coast are not scarce, they’re just not where they’re expected to be.

“There’s an abundance of them. They’re just 80 to 100 miles offshore where the longliners can’t keep them off the hook,” said Captain Lenny Elich, who runs the Miss Barnegat Light party boat.

But they’re not the on the Barnegat Ridge, and because of that the Miss Barnegat Light, which used to fish night and day for blues, has resorted to fluke fishing.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

Study finds high return on investment for New Jersey offshore wind spending

September 4, 2018 — Every dollar spent in-state to build a 352-megawatt wind farm off the New Jersey coast would generate $1.83 in economic benefit, according to a new study by BW Research Partnership.

But it used a model developed by the federal government that assumed 56 percent of the $843 million in construction expenditures would likely go to out-of-state businesses. That means most of the positive ripple-effect spending would likely go to other states, and overall costs would outpace economic benefit here.

The report estimated about $383 million would be spent in-state to build the wind farm, which would generate an additional $319 million in ripple-effect spending, for a total in-state economic benefit of $702 million.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

Sturgeon, scallops and wind turbines

August 24, 2018 — Offshore wind energy companies are contending with many of the same environmental issues as other maritime industries in U.S. waters, and on a compressed timeline.

Pumped up by state policies encouraging renewable energy, and the Trump administration’s big buy-in to promote new domestic energy production, a dozen federal wind energy leases are already approved off the East Coast, and construction and operation plans for two projects are under review.

Deepwater Wind could have turbines on its South Fork Wind Farm off the east end of Long Island, N.Y., operational in 2020. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management says developers have plans for 8.5 gigawatts capacity of offshore wind power, with construction picking up pace through the 2020s.

Renewable energy advocates hail this as a train coming down the track. Fishermen want scientists’ help to at least slow it down.

“We’re really hoping to partner with the scientific community in this process,” lawyer Anne Hawkins told an audience at the American Fisheries Society annual meeting in Atlantic City, N.J., this week.

Read the full story at WorkBoat

NEW JERSEY: Ratepayer-funded offshore wind a boon to state’s labor, air quality

August 21, 2018 — The state is working to open the bidding for the first 1,100 megawatts of offshore wind energy by the end of the year, in time for developers to qualify for 2019 federal tax credits, a spokesperson for the Board of Public Utilities told a meeting of wind developers and supporters Monday.

That should save ratepayers about 12 percent of the building costs, said Anne Marie McShea, off-shore wind program administrator for the BPU at the conference Time for Turbines: What a Difference a Year Makes on Monday at the Atlantic County Utility Authority’s wastewater treatment facility.

The federal credits are due to end at the end of next year.

Ratepayers will finance the construction of offshore wind farms through an add-on to their monthly bills, awarded as Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credits to developers in a competitive process.

The rules for the OREC process were published in the New Jersey Register on Monday, after being released in draft form last week.

The Offshore Wind Economic Development Act of 2010, intended to get the industry started here, was not implemented under Gov. Chris Christie, said Doug O’Malley of Environment New Jersey, one of the organizers. But Gov. Phil Murphy, who is looking for the state to rely 100 percent on clean energy by 2050, has made it a priority.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

New Jersey moves forward on state’s Offshore Wind Strategic Plan

August 17, 2018 — The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJ BPU) has selected Ramboll to coordinate and facilitate the development of the State’s Offshore Wind (OSW) Strategic Plan as called for under Governor Murphy’s Executive Order No. 8, which set the most ambitious goal in the U.S. of 3,500 MW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.

The OSW Strategic Plan will guide the development of offshore wind as a renewable energy source in the State. Ramboll will lead a team that includes Stantec Consulting Services Inc., Rutgers Energy Institute Wind Group (REI-Wind LESS/CAIT), BVG Associates LLC (BVGA), the Business Network for Offshore Wind (the Network), InGroup Inc., and Endeavor Fisheries (Endeavor).

This strong team of New Jersey practitioners and firms brings experience in all areas of the developing offshore wind market, both domestically and internationally. Their combined U.S. and global experience and expertise provides a deep understanding of the offshore wind market and the specific implications for New Jersey.

Read the full story at Windpower Engineering & Development

Hooked On Fishing Not On Drugs Coming To Mercer County, New Jersey

August 16, 2018 — A nationally recognized state outdoor education program is coming to Mercer County, officials announced this week. Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs (HOFNOD) will run on Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Sept. 1 through Nov. 17.

It is a youth education program created by the Future Fisherman Foundation that works in partnership with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. It is open to youth ages 10 to 14. Those interested in the program must register to participate by Aug. 17.

“Today’s kids need an avenue into the outdoors,” Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes said in an announcement for the event. “This program provides a safe environment where kids can learn beneficial new skills.”

The goal of this program is to encourage school-age children to avoid tobacco, drug and alcohol usage by providing alternative activities while having fun. Participants can learn to fish, discover aquatic and environmental resources and develop positive life skills.

Read the full story at The Princeton Patch

NEW JERSEY: Aquaculture to take centre stage at Atlantic City event

August 16, 2018 — Aquaculture will be the main focus of this year’s meeting of the American Fisheries Society (AFS), with presentations on breeding, rearing, and harvesting of aquatic organisms in freshwater, brackish, and marine environments.

Some eight hours of the AFS event, which will take place in Atlantic City, New Jersey on 21-22 August, will be dedicated to exploring aquaculture policies, protections, and management.

“AFS has been a leader in the science, practice, and policy of aquaculture since our founding in 1870 as the American Fish Culturists’ Association. Aquaculture is a fundamental part of how we manage fisheries resources, recover imperiled species, and satisfy growing demand for seafood. The programming planned is a continuation of our members’ work to make aquaculture effective, efficient, and aligned with the principles of natural resource stewardship,” said incoming AFS President Dr Jesse Trushenski.

Globally, the shellfish aquaculture industry is experiencing a period of rapid growth. In 2014, US production of clams, oysters, and mussels exceeded 40 million pounds and was valued at $300 million. Shellfish aquaculture can be a source of sustainable seafood, an important contributor to local economies, and provide ecosystem benefits to the coastal environment. These sessions at the AFS annual meeting will provide a forum for discussing current aquaculture research and policy in the United States and abroad.

Dr Daphne Munroe, leading scientist at the Rutgers University Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, explains why this science is crucial: “As aquaculture continues to grow, it is important that science and data collection keep pace. We are learning more and more about how to monitor and manage aquaculture, and we must ensure that we develop data-informed policies, backed up by the best possible science if we want to foster sustainable growth. Conversations like the ones we will have at AFS are one way that we as researchers, put our science in the hands of policy-makers and managers.”

Read the full story at The Fish Site

NEW JERSEY: Gov. Murphy signs bill for marine fisheries management

August 13, 2018 — A bill to provide an extra $1.2 million to the state Bureau of Marine Fisheries for shellfish and fisheries management was signed into law Friday by Gov. Phil Murphy.

It’s an increase to the $2.468 million allocated in the governor’s proposed fiscal year 2019 budget, said bill sponsors, bringing the total appropriation to $3.668 million for the coming fiscal year.

The Bureau of Marine Fisheries in the state Department of Environmental Protection is charged with protecting, conserving and enhancing marine fisheries resources and habitats.

“This will undoubtedly provide a big boost for tourism and for fishermen in South Jersey,” said co-sponsor Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak, D-Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland.

He said the bureau’s work to ensure sustainable fisheries will allow tourism and commercial and recreational fishing to thrive.

The bill was also co-sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblymen Bruce Land, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic; and Vince Mazzeo, D-Atlantic; and in the Senate by Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City