Saving Seafood

Winds of change: Maine Fishermen’s Forum highlights offshore wind power

March 6, 2020 — Today kicks off the 45th annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine. This year’s conference program includes all the usual updates on marketing Maine lobster, racing lobster boats, management of a range of New England fisheries — groundfish, herring, eels, scallops — data collection and safety.

New this year is a full day of seminars on offshore wind (taking place all day today, March 5) that will be packed with information fishermen and other working waterfront stakeholders can use: What projects are underway, how they are permitted and what NOAA’s role is and will be. Stay tuned for an update here.

The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, led by Annie Hawkins, has a board of directors that represents fishing communities up and down the East Coast. The group also recently launched a West Coast coalition that will serve as advocates and watchdogs on the left coast.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Federal Fishery Managers Address Broad Range of Issues During Meeting This Week

March 6, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

This week’s meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in Jekyll Island, Georgia reflected the diversity of issues involved in managing fisheries in federal waters in the Southeast. During the meeting the Council developed recommendations on measures proposed in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, approved an amendment to modify transit provisions for shrimp vessels during cold-weather closures, addressed designating Special Management Zone areas off the coasts of the Carolinas, and received updates on the 2020 red snapper season, shark depredation, and wind farms.

The Council received presentations from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) as well as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary regarding proposed measures in the Sanctuary’s Restoration Blueprint affecting fishing within the South Atlantic Council’s portion of the Sanctuary. The proposed measures include expansion of the Sanctuary boundaries, modifying designated marine zones where fishing would be restricted or prohibited, eliminating baitfish permits, and prohibiting fish feeding activities. FWC held a series of stakeholder workshops in January 2020 and has developed recommendations based on input received at the workshops and other meetings. After reviewing the FWC recommendations, the Council discussed their role in the process and began drafting a letter to provide formal comments to the superintendent of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary by mid-March. A final copy of the letter will be posted on the Council’s website as part of the March 2020 meeting materials.

Council members voted to approve Amendment 11 to the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan that would modify current transit provisions for commercial shrimp vessels during cold-weather closures. The Council created the cold-weather closures and associated transit provisions to protect overwintering shrimp. During the most recent cold-weather closure for penaeid shrimp (brown, pink, and white shrimp) in 2018, shrimp fishermen indicated that gear stowage requirements were no longer feasible and asked that they be adjusted. Working together with members of the Council’s advisory panels to find a solution, the amendment would modify the gear stowage requirements within the transit provisions. The amendment must undergo Secretarial review before the measures may be implemented.

At the request of state marine resource agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina, the Council is considering designating a series of artificial reef sites within federal waters (3 miles or greater) offshore of each state as Special Management Zones. Amendment 34 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan would designate 30 artificial reef sites off of North Carolina and four sites off of South Carolina, where gear restrictions would be put into place for fishermen targeting species in the snapper grouper management complex. The Council approved the amendment for public hearings to be held via webinar prior to the June Council meeting. The hearings will be publicized as details become available.

Other Items

The Council received an update from NOAA Fisheries regarding a possible recreational season for red snapper in the South Atlantic of three days beginning the second Friday in July. The number of fishing days is determined by NOAA Fisheries each year. The 2020 opening is contingent on changing current regulations restricting opening the season for three days or less. The Council approved Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 33 in December 2019 requesting the minimum number of days requirement be eliminated. The amendment is currently under review by NOAA Fisheries. Read more.

The Council also received a presentation from NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Division addressing concerns about shark depredation. The presentation acknowledged growing concerns about the impacts of shark depredation on fishing activities and outlined the challenges in addressing the concerns, including data needed to quantify shark encounters by fishermen. Council members also received an update on the status of the Kitty Hawk Wind Farm project proposed off the east coast of North Carolina, took action to table proposed changes for commercial Spanish mackerel trip limits in the northern zone, moved forward with developing an amendment to designate bullet mackerel and frigate mackerel as Ecosystem Component Species and began preliminary discussions of allocations. For additional meeting details, view the interactive Story Map for the March Council meeting or visit the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/ for committee reports and other meeting materials.

The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for June 8-12, 2020 in Key West, Florida.

Wind farm off the coast of North Carolina getting closer to reality

March 5, 2020 — The possibility of a wind farm off the Carolina outer banks is closer to being a reality as the company behind the first leased tract has taken a big step forward.

Three years after submitting the winning bid for what’s known as the Kitty Hawk tract off the coast, Avangrid is ready for the next round of paperwork.

Company spokesman Paul Copleman confirmed the news, calling it a great step that “enables us to move forward with the next round of data gathering and resources assessment, including deploying a buoy to gather meteorological and ocean data.”

Read the full story at WSOC

RHODE ISLAND: Offshore Wind Takes Shape at Providence Innovation Hub

March 4, 2020 — A new glass-and-steel office space is less about the number jobs or the company that will occupy it and more about the industry taking root there.

Seven co-working desks at the Wexford Innovation Center on Dyer Street in the Jewelry District will soon be used by Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind. The Danish company is joining seven other wind-related companies already there. And judging by the 200 or so attendees at the March 2 office opening, a nascent industry is on the verge of rapid growth.

“This is a brand-new industry and it’s being born right here in the state of Rhode Island. It’s unbelievable,” Gov. Gina Raimondo said.

Twenty-two gigawatts of wind facilities are planned for federal waters between Maine and North Carolina, and undoubtedly a lot of engineers, tradespeople, boatbuilders, and more will be needed to get the turbines built and spinning.

Other port cities such as Boston, where Ørsted has its co-headquarters, New Bedford, Mass., and Norfolk, Va., are vying for the title of U.S. capital of offshore wind. But these is little doubt that Providence is part of the emerging blue economy. Ørsted, which bought Deepwater Wind in 2018, is still using its original downtown office on Exchange Terrace, where it has already doubled its staff from 30 to 60. More will work at the innovation hub on Dyer Street, where employees from Denmark and other offices will hold meetings with offshore wind entrepreneurs.

Read the full story at EcoRI

Wind-power developer opens 2nd R.I. office

March 3, 2020 — The construction of more offshore wind farms on the East Coast is on hold as federal regulators reconsider their impacts, but that hasn’t deterred the leading developer in the global industry from opening its second office in Providence.

Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind’s new innovation hub is small, with only two full-time staff members and space for seven other employees of the Danish parent company to cycle through, but Orsted executives say its presence reflects confidence in the future of the American market.

“We are still pretty optimistic,” Thomas Brostrom, president of Orsted’s operations in North America, said in an interview. “We are getting anxious to move on, but nothing to make our hands shake.”

He spoke outside the new office in the Wexford Innovation Center on Monday before the official opening of the work space. In a demonstration of the importance of Orsted to the growth of Rhode Island’s “blue economy” — commercial activities centered around the ocean — Gov. Gina Raimondo joined Brostrom and others at the event.

Offshore wind alone could generate 20,000 supply-chain jobs along the Atlantic coast, said Raimondo, citing one recent report.

Read the full story at the Providence Journal

US Offshore Wind and Fisheries Alliance Names First Executive Director

March 3, 2020 — The Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) has appointed Lyndie Hice-Dunton as its first executive director.
Hice-Dunton officially assumed the role of Executive Director on 10 February.

According to ROSA, the new appointment has over a decade of experience in fisheries science and environmental policy as a specialist on projects focusing on coastal and offshore energy, offshore infrastructure development, and fisheries stakeholder engagement.

Her experience includes close work with state and federal regulatory agencies, fishing industry representatives, and offshore wind developers to identify best science-based approaches to responsible development.

Read the full story at Offshore Wind

ROSA Announces Hiring of First Executive Director

February 27, 2020 — The following was released by the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance:

Dr. Lyndie Hice-Dunton has been selected to lead the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) by ROSA’s board of directors.  Dr. Hice-Dunton officially assumed the role of Executive Director on February 10, 2020.

ROSA is an unprecedented partnership formed by fishermen and offshore wind leaders, in collaboration with federal and state management experts to enhance scientific understanding necessary to support the coexistence of wind energy development and sustainable fisheries. Formed in early 2019, ROSA will provide for and advance regional research and monitoring of fisheries and offshore wind interactions in US state and federal waters through coordination and cooperation.

“We are so enthusiastic for Lyndie’s leadership of ROSA and look forward to working collaboratively with the Fishing Industry, Offshore Wind Developers, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as we continue to build this exciting organization,” said Peter Hughes, Co-Chair of ROSA’s Board of Directors.  

“Dr. Hice-Dunton brings valuable organizing experience to her new role that will help ROSA bring together important stakeholders in a sustainable future for the ocean,” said Rachel Pachter, Co-Chair of ROSA’s Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to be moving forward and rolling up our sleeves on ROSA’s important mission of science, collaboration, and communication.”

Read the full release here

N.Y.’s plan to fast-track renewables could get ‘ugly’

February 26, 2020 — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to speed up approvals of renewable energy projects is launching the state’s climate ambitions into a new phase that could cause an uproar in rural communities.

The legislation, presented as an amendment to the Democratic governor’s budget on Friday, could be a bellwether for officials in other states looking to fast-track costly and often controversial energy developments to meet their own carbon-cutting goals.

At the heart of the New York bill is a plan to remove wind and solar power from the state’s traditional energy permitting process, developed for natural gas plants and approved by Cuomo almost a decade ago.

Wind and solar projects would no longer face scrutiny from the state’s environmental and utility regulators, instead receiving permits from a new office housed within an economic development agency.

But by trying to pave the way for developers, the governor’s overhaul could incense locals in several rural counties, many of them located near the shores of lakes Erie and Ontario or along the border of Pennsylvania. The bill must still pass both chambers of the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Last week, county officials near Niagara Falls were considering ways to block vast new wind turbine projects, with one legislator lamenting that the state’s incentives for wind and solar were “destroying our communities,” according to Niagara Frontier Publications.

Read the full story at E&E News

NEW JERSEY: Cape May County Looks to “Co-Exist” With Wind Farm

February 26, 2020 — With the prospect of 90 turbines sitting a mile apart 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic City in a wind farm project slated for 2024, a public forum Tuesday laid out some concerns about the possible impacts on tourism, the environment and the fishing industry.

The program, hosted by the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce, was held at the Flanders Hotel in Ocean City.

Speakers, including Joseph Fiordaliso, president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Cape May County Chamber officials, County Tourism Director Diane Wieland and fishing industry experts, heard from Orsted, the company building the wind farm.

Among the dignitaries in attendance at the standing-room-only event was former Gov. Jim Florio, who did not speak about the project.

The project is touted by Orsted, which has built 26 other wind farms, as one that would supply clean renewable energy, power more than half a million New Jersey homes and create thousands of jobs.

Read the full story at the O.C. N.J. Daily

Deal emerges to bring 1st offshore wind farms to California

February 24, 2020 — Offshore wind developers are lining up to build the first wind turbines off the coast of California.

But they have a problem called the Department of Defense.

For years, the military has managed to block the establishment of offshore wind lease areas off of Southern and central California, effectively holding back development across the entire state.

Defense officials have said turbines would interrupt training exercises run by the Navy, the Air Force and other branches of the military out of a network of Southern and central California bases.

Wind could interfere with radar and other instruments of communication, and get in the way of low-altitude flights and live-fire operations, they say.

Now, a tentative compromise is being floated by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) with backing from the military and federal and state agencies: Let developers produce wind power in central California waters that the military had once ruled incompatible with its own operations, in exchange for a moratorium on turbines in other nearby waters. Details of the compromise were described to E&E News by the congressman and Defense and state officials involved in negotiations.

At stake could be the prospects for the first offshore wind farm on the West Coast and likely the country’s first to use floating turbines at large scale.

Offshore wind also could help California meet its 2045 goal of decarbonizing electricity, in part because offshore turbines would complement solar by producing more energy at night, helping getting around the “duck curve” challenge.

Read the full story at E&E News