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Wind energy zone will harm clam fishermen

Harry October 28, 2024

NEW BEDFORD – according to a letter he wrote Bureau of Ocean Energy ManagementNew Bedford Port Authority Executive Director Gordon Carr has “serious concern” for the clam fishing industry over a potential new call area to be leased to offshore wind projects.

Carr wrote that the 13,476,805-acre area off New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, called the “Mid-Atlantic 2” call area, includes a large portion of the significant scalloped areas.

on October 21 letterPosted on the last day of BOEM’s comment period, Carr said that throughout the process of developing New Bedford’s “first large-scale offshore wind industrial diversion port,” the port “has been diligent in providing comments for numerous ongoing offshore wind projects and has made recommendations for new projects.” ” he wrote. future.”

“Throughout this process, we recognize and support the need to develop offshore wind energy. However, we have become increasingly concerned that development should be undertaken responsibly, protecting only the established industries that share our waters,” Carr wrote.

“Our serious concern with this CA2 call area is that it unnecessarily includes some of the most critical scallop fisheries on the East Coast,” Carr continued, noting the Elephant Trunk, Hudson Canyon and Delmarva areas.

16-year impact on fisheries estimated in billions

16-year catch value for “most affected commercial fisheries”, National Marine Fisheries Service That figure would be “just under $2 billion,” Carr noted, including about $1.5 billion in scallops.

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Scallop conflict could be prevented, Carr writes

Carr wrote in his letter to BOEM Renewable Energy Program Specialist Seth Theuerkauf that he and others found it “striking that all of this data was made available to BOEM before determining the boundaries of the proposed call area.”

Carr continued: “What is even more confusing is that avoiding the inclusion of these areas in the northernmost parts of CA2 would leave behind the vast majority of the more than 13 million acres and would potentially have virtually no impact on the overall area available for future leases.” ” . “A simple look at the CA2 map shows that the border may have been set approximately 150 miles south, avoiding these critical scallop areas.”

Carr optimistic BOEM will hear scallop fishing concerns

carr said Standard Times While he thinks BOEM’s introduction of the CA2 call in its current form “is a missed opportunity for BOEM to demonstrate too early in the call area process that it understands the impacts of fishing,” he remains hopeful that fisheries concerns will be taken into account.

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“I look forward to working with them going forward. I am confident that these areas will eventually be removed from the final call area,” Carr said, adding that BOEM has taken fisheries concerns into the Gulf of Maine call area into consideration and will result in the cut. According to the information received, rentals for this call area will go on sale on October 29. US Department of the Interior.

After difficult years, New Bedford scallopers are worried about the future

Scalloper Keith Uzzell, who has fished in New Bedford and Fairhaven for 16 years, says he and others began noticing “more research boats, more offshore windcraft activity” in frequent fishing areas in the northeast, while also noticing an increase in dead whales. like landscapes and empty clam shells.

“I would say it’s been more prevalent in the last two years. Those years have been the worst years I’ve ever seen,” Uzzell said.

Whether or not changes in the ocean and declines in catch are proven to be linked to offshore wind, as many fishermen and activists suspect, Uzzell says the prospect of advancement of the CA2 calling area raises the concerns of scallop fishermen.

“As scallop fishermen, these are our southernmost areas,” Uzzell said, explaining that fishing boats are generally allocated a certain number of trips per year to certain fishing grounds, except for some clear days. “It’s also the safest fishing area we have because they’re not that far from the coastline. That’s half the seabed we have available to fish. We only have exposure to the east and south.”

“Your equipment is dragging behind you for a quarter of a mile; how do you navigate a wind farm?” New Bedford scalloper Russell Isabel, captain of the three vessels, also pointed out that undersea cables pose a danger to dredgers due to their fishing methods. “When all is said and done, where do we go?”

A. listing List of northeast offshore wind projects from Maine to Virginia, compiled by Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management CouncilIt shows nine projects currently under construction, three operational and 22 in the “planning” stage. In total, 10 of the 34 projects listed directly involve Massachusetts.

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Echoing Uzzell closely, Isabel said her observations at sea in recent years have included increasing numbers of dead ocean mammals in areas where fishermen have noticed offshore wind activity, empty clam shells, and declining catches.

“When you look back at 2021, we had an astronomical year,” Isabel said. “Then they started doing these surveys and putting them out, and last year I think we did half of that.”

Clam cultivation at BASE Seafood Auction declines after 2021

Clam landing records from the BASE Seafood Auction provided by Isabel show landings in 2021 totaled 21,952,730 pounds. This figure was 16,532,227 pounds in 2022 and 16,173,540 pounds in 2023. As of Saturday, October 19, the 2024 total was £11,066,725.

“I would say a little over 12 million,” Isabel predicted when asked what BASE Seafood Auction projects for its 2024 year-end total, estimating that about 80% of the scallops coming into New Bedford are landed at BASE.

BASE Seafood Auction CEO Cassie Canastra did not respond Standard Times‘ Request more information and comments for this post in a timely manner.

A media representative from BOEM said the agency was unable to respond to questions by the deadline.