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Making Waves Spring 2021
Proposed Wind Farms in Southern New England Offshore Waters To Encompass Prime Fishing Grounds By Capt. Mike Pierdinock RFA Massachusetts Chapter Chairman
T
here are thousands of acres of federal waters in southern New England that have been leased to various electricity generation companies that have, and will be, involved with the siting of wind turbines in offshore waters. Many of these wind farm areas include prime fishing grounds, ranging from Coxes Ledge to east of The Claw, and south to the Fingers and north of the Dump. These areas are subject to ongoing geotechnical investigations by commercial vessels, and the locations mentioned are only part of the initial phase of the siting process which will ultimately require additional scrutiny as well as environmentally related surveys as the companies’ attempt to obtain approval to site the proposed turbines. This will likely be a long drawn-out process, with several opportunities for public comment.
We are not talking about a few turbine units close to shore in state waters such as those off Block Island, but hundreds of multistory units in a grid pattern encompassing prime fishing grounds. Nobody wants to see all of these superlarge wind turbines in their back yard, so the thought has been to place the turbines units well offshore where they are out of sight. However, there has been little consideration of the impact to recreational anglers, charter and party boat operations, and the commercial fishing fleet. Many of the easterly wind farm areas are on spawning grounds for herring and squid, Coxes Ledge provides a mix of groundfish and pelagics, and the other areas mentioned are angling hot spots for sharks, tuna, mahi and billfish. Plus, there is concern about impacts on other forage fish, turtles, whales and marine mammals.
