The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, an advocacy group representing U.S. commercial fishermen, is seeking input regarding how the industry should pursue compensation for losses caused as a result of the development ofoffshore wind energy projects.
That work is taking place at the same time Reuters reported that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is considering how it can compensate the fishing industry.
The news service reported Biden’s plan comes as the result of a letter sent to him by nine governors from Atlantic states. From that letter, Reuters reported that officials with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection held initial talks with representatives from eight other states on working with federal officials to create a compensation plan “for potential impacts to the commercial fishing industry from offshore wind projects.”
Reuters quoted an official from U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a U.S. Interior Department agency, as telling fishing industry stakeholders that “compensatory mitigation” is being seriously considered and that that was due to the letter sent to Biden by the governors of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
However, in an email Wednesday, RODA Executive Director Annie Hawkins told SeafoodSource that neither BOEM nor the states have given fishermen a chance to participate, which is why the group is doing its own work to make sure impact fees for fishermen truly benefit the industry.
In its first six months in office, Biden has made developing offshore wind power a cornerstone of the country's climate agenda. However, fishing industry stakeholders have complained they’ve been left out of the decision-making process regarding the approval and development of new wind projects. In May, RODA criticized the decision to move ahead with the Vineyard Wind project off the Massachusetts coast.
In addition, the federal government is considering a plan to approve the construction of wind projects off the coasts of New York and New Jersey, and a second one off Massachusetts. Beyond that, the administration is starting to look for opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Pacific Coast.
Two years ago, RODA, BOEM, and NOAA Fisheries signed a 10-year pact that called for the parties to engage fishing communities in locations where offshore wind projects are being considered.
Hawkins told SeafoodSource that NOAA Fisheries has worked with the group on research projects and other efforts. However, the same interaction has not happened with BOEM.
“BOEM's new leadership haven't clarified what they consider to be the agency's commitments under the MOU, nor what its approach will be to develop authentic relationships with fishermen and include their ecological knowledge in its processes,” Hawkins said. “Instead, BOEM is escalating its longstanding approach to treat the fishing industry and fisheries scientists as ‘reactors’ and members of the public.”
Hawkins said the deadline for RODA’s survey is Sunday, 1 August. Results from that should be available within a few weeks.
Photo courtesy of archna nautiyal/Shutterstock
