Saving Seafood

BOEM Proposes Offshore Wind Area Auctions in Gulf of Mexico and Oregon

May 2, 2024 — The U.S. Department of the Interior took its next steps in the aggressive plans to accelerate the development of offshore wind energy in the U.S. They released proposals for two new wind areas off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine which they said combined could provide 18 GW of energy. It however includes more controversial areas especially along the Oregon coast.

The Biden Administration highlights that it has already approved eight offshore sites with a combined capacity of more than 10 GW, which they said will power nearly four million homes. They are also continuing the lengthy review process for additional proposals after having conducted four auctions including the New York Bight, offshore of the Carolina, and the first sales off the coast of California, and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Today’s proposals include eight lease areas offshore Marine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Combined it represents nearly one million acres in the Gulf of Maine and the potential for 15 GW. The Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to conduct simultaneous auctions for each of the eight lease areas. Before finalizing the plan, they said they are seeking feedback on various aspects including the size of the lease areas, orientation, and location. They are also looking for input if any areas should be prioritized for inclusion or exclusion.

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

OREGON: Fish out of water story ends with 77,000 young salmon in the wrong water

April 4, 2024 — First, the good news. When a 53-foot fish tanker truck crashed and rolled upside down on an embankment next to a creek in northeast Oregon, its driver suffered only minor injuries. And as the truck came to a rest, its tank settled downhill, next to the water.

That last detail was crucial for the truck’s cargo: some 102,000 spring Chinook smolts, or young salmon, that had been raised in a hatchery. The truck overturned on a twisting road that mirrors Lookingglass Creek — and some 77,000 fish made it from the tanker into the creek’s fresh, inviting water, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

But there is also bad news: 25,529 smolts died, recovered from the tanker and the bank of the creek. And the fish that survived are now living in the wrong waterway.

The fish had been raised at Lookingglass Hatchery to give a population boost to wild salmon in the Imnaha River, around 90 miles to the east.

Read the full article at NPR

OREGON: Fishing interests urge Kotek to halt offshore auction

March 27, 2024 — The following was released by Midwater Trawlers Cooperative:

A consortium of fishermen, processors, and others in the seafood industry are urging Oregon Governor Tina Kotek to halt the auction of ocean leases for offshore wind energy. While leasing is the work of the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), agency representatives have publicly stated BOEM would defer to state wishes before moving forward.

Today, the Protect US Fishermen coalition joined Oregon tribes and submitted a letter imploring the governor to “relay to BOEM that no offshore wind lease auction should occur off the South Coast until after the Oregon Roadmap is completed.”

When finished, the roadmap will outline considerations and recommendations relating to offshore wind energy in Oregon. The considerations for the Roadmap have been crafted over several months by a diverse group of stakeholders and will include exit ramps, or a means by which Oregon can change course if offshore wind development strays from the outlined recommendations. The diverse group has been facilitated by Oregon Consensus.

According to BOEM, offshore lease auctioning could happen as soon as October 2024. In their letter, the consortium of fishing interests made the case for a delay.

“It is our understanding that if an auction is not completed in 2024, the next opportunity would be in 2026. This timing works well with the completion of a roadmap and is responsive to the concerns from existing ocean users and coastal communities alike. Offshore floating wind energy does not currently exist anywhere in the world in waters deeper than 300 meters or at the scale being contemplated for the West Coast. In addition to the roadmap, Oregon would benefit significantly by learning from projects that are already moving forward, such as those on the East Coast and in California,” the letter states.

BOEM has ignored recent requests for an extended period of public comment, despite the request coming from tribal leaders, Oregon’s Coastal Caucus, Oregon senators Wyden and Merkley and Congresswoman Hoyle, fishing interests, and more. Fishermen are hoping that a more forceful response from Gov. Kotek will change the tide.

In the most recent legislative session, lawmakers passed HB4080 which, among other things, directs the Oregon Department of Energy to develop an Offshore Wind Roadmap that “defines standards to be considered in the processes related to offshore wind energy development and approval.” That legislation is on Kotek’s desk, awaiting signature.

 

White House, tribal leaders hail ‘historic’ deal to restore salmon runs in Pacific Northwest

February 26, 2024 —  The Biden administration, leaders of four Columbia River Basin tribes and the governors of Oregon and Washington celebrated on Friday as they signed papers formally launching a $1 billion plan to help recover depleted salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest.

The plan, announced in December, stopped short of calling for the removal of four controversial dams on the Snake River, as some environmental groups and tribal leaders have urged. But officials said it would boost clean energy production and help offset hydropower, transportation and other benefits provided by the dams should Congress ever agree to breach them.

The plan brokered by the Biden administration pauses long-running litigation over federal dam operations and represents the most significant step yet toward eventually taking the four Snake River dams down. The plan will strengthen tribal clean energy projects and provide other benefits for tribes and other communities that depend on the Columbia Basin for agriculture, energy, recreation and transportation, the White House said.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

 

Agreement to save Pacific Northwest salmon population signed

February 24, 2024 — A “landmark” agreement was signed by the federal government, the Pacific Northwest, and tribes to help save declining salmon populations in the Columbia Basin.

Friday’s ceremonial signing formalizes the Biden administration’s historic agreement made in December with Oregon, Washington, advocacy groups, and the “Six Sovereigns,” including the Yakima, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Nez Pierce tribes.

The effort aims to preserve ecosystems supporting wild salmon, steelhead, and other native fish habitats in the region.

The agreement includes efforts to expand tribally sponsored clean energy production and aims to provide stability to communities that rely on the Columbia Basin.

The agreement includes efforts to expand tribally sponsored clean energy production and aims to provide stability to communities that rely on the Columbia Basin.

Read the full article at KOIN

BOEM Approves Controversial Wind Energy Areas off Oregon

February 14, 2024 — After a months-long process of engagement with local fishermen and tribes, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has designated two final Wind Energy Areas off the Oregon Coast. Despite local opposition and skepticism from fisheries stakeholders, the areas will still go forward in BOEM’s planning process, but will be 11 percent smaller.

BOEM’s initial draft wind areas announced in August 2023 would have allowed the development of about 220,000 acres off Brookings and Coos Bay, with power generation potential of about 2.6 GW. After months of stakeholder meetings, held at the request of the state’s governor and both of its senators, the revised final areas cover about 195,000 acres – about 11 percent smaller than the draft – and have about 2.4 GW of generation potential. The physical locations and distances from shore are comparable to the draft areas.

The final result drew scathing criticism from the local fishing industry. Heather Mann, executive director of the Coos Bay-based Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, called BOEM’s engagement process “a slap in the face to Oregon’s coastal communities.”

“The final wind energy areas are slightly different from the draft wind energy areas produced earlier this year, but certainly not an acceptable or meaningful response to the many concerns including those raised by tribes, fishermen, marine scientists, environmentalists, and state and federal legislators,” said Mann.

Read the full article at the Maritime Executive

OREGON: Oregon receiving $7M for fishery disaster amid ‘dwindling’ salmon population

February 7, 2024 — Oregon is set to receive a “lifeline” $7 million in federal funding to address the state’s fishery disaster impacting Chinook salmon, lawmakers announced last week.

Commercial fishermen can apply for reimbursements from the disaster funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to recover from economic losses between 2018 and 2020, which saw declining salmon populations in Oregon, officials said.

From 2013-2017, the commercial value of Chinook salmon was around $6.3 million annually for Oregon fisheries; however, the impact of climate change on salmon populations led their value to drop to $2.3 million in 2018, $2 million in 2019, and $1.4 million in 2020, state lawmakers report.

Read the full article at KOIN

The Largest Dam Removal Project in U.S. History Begins Final Stretch, Welcoming Salmon Home

January 23, 2024 — The Klamath River in California and Oregon is one step closer to a healthy new beginning.

Officials gathered earlier this month at the Iron Gate Dam in Hornbrook, California, to unlatch a gate at the base of its reservoir. As the water flowed through, it signaled the beginning of the end of the largest dam removal project in United States history, report Erik Neumann and Juliet Grable for NPR.

The gate’s opening, formerly just a crack, was extended to three feet wide. Dark brown waters rumbled through the gap, washing years of sediment buildup downriver. Over the next week, 2,200 cubic feet of water per second were expected to flow, lowering the reservoir between two and four feet per day. Eventually, the channel’s entire width—stretching 16 feet across—will allow the uninhibited passage of water and sediment.

Opening the Iron Gate Dam represents a critical advancement in the historic demolition project, which was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in November 2022. The effort will remove four aging hydroelectric dams in the Klamath River, restoring hundreds of miles of salmon habitat. The first and smallest dam, Copco 2, was already deconstructed this past autumn, and the rest are slated for removal this year.

Read the full article at the Smithsonian Magazine

OREGON: Commercial Dungeness crab season delayed due to low meat yield

November 21, 2023 — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says the commercial Dungeness crab season is being delayed at least until December 16.

According to ODFW, pre-season testing shows the crabs are too low in meat yield in some ocean areas.

The commercial bay crab fishery closes at midnight on December 1 in conjunction with the delayed open season.  ODFW says it will reopen when the ocean commercial season opens.

Read the full article at KOBI