FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date Published: Wednesday, May 25, 2021
Washington, D.C. — Today’s announcement advancing new Wind Energy Areas off the coast of California once again displays the administration’s dismissal of the importance of U.S. seafood production and fishing communities’ concerns with rushed, large-scale offshore wind energy development. These conflicts can only be addressed through direct partnership with fishing operators and experts, but it appears BOEM and the Newsom Administration are determined to repeat mistakes that have led to missed opportunities and enormous conflict for the planned Atlantic coast projects.
It is disappointing that Governor Newsom’s announcement of $20 million for offshore wind capacity included nothing for fisheries research or impacts mitigation. This mirrors the recent announcement from the Biden Administration that provided billions of dollars in incentives and investments for offshore wind but merely one million dollars for fisheries research. BOEM has once again scheduled a state Task Force meeting during an important, previously scheduled Fishery Management Council meeting, just weeks after doing so for a Task Force meeting for the New York Bight that led in part to a fishing industry boycott of that meeting.
The California and broader Pacific fishing communities have raised multiple direct requests and concerns to BOEM, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and others that merit prompt attention. These include:
- Expanded fisheries representation on BOEM Intergovernmental Task Forces;
- Greater opportunities for public input;
- Additional resources for fisheries-related research and environmental review;
- Performance of full environmental analyses at the onset of project siting;
- Enhanced interstate coordination;
- Implementation of an inclusive marine spatial planning process prior to lease decisions;
- Advancement of science processes and products that include fishermen’s traditional knowledge; and
- Decisions based on appropriate time series and data sets with sufficient timelines to gather such data, which is largely unavailable at present.
Hundreds of members of the California and Pacific fishing communities signed a letter dated April 6th of this year requesting a transparent and balanced national planning process for offshore wind development. The letter requested “far more transparency and inclusion” in offshore wind decision-making, noting that it “directly conflicts with fishing and imposes significant impacts to marine habitats, biodiversity, and physical oceanography.”
To date, fishermen have been invited to offshore wind processes in California and across the country only through “stakeholder engagement” processes, for which the metrics of success are how many meetings occur and the quantity of input gathered, regardless of outcomes. They must be recognized for their contribution to coastal economies and heritage as respected professionals with vast traditional knowledge. Promises of job creation from offshore wind are meaningless if they occur at the expense of existing, good-paying fishing jobs. We urge BOEM, the State, and offshore wind proponents to work quickly and effectively with fishing community leaders to avoid repeating past mistakes and ensure a bright future for California seafood.
###
About Responsible Offshore Development Alliance
Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) is a broad membership-based coalition of fishing industry associations and fishing companies — across the United States — committed to improving the compatibility of new offshore development with their businesses. The alliance works to directly collaborate with relevant regulatory agencies, scientists, and others to coordinate science and policy approaches to managing development of the Outer Continental Shelf in a way that minimizes conflicts with existing traditional and historical fishing.
Connect with RODA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Contact:
Haley Steinhauser
+1(562)991-3170