Vineyard Wind’s decision to move three turbines farther away from Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket makes no significant difference to the preservation of fishing grounds, fisheries sources say.
The offshore wind company announced Monday that it had removed three of the 84 planned turbines from the north end of the grid and placed them elsewhere among its 106 approved turbine locations.
The south side of the Islands, where the change was made, is a prime squid fishing ground.
Katie Almeida, fisheries policy analyst for Rhode Island squid dealer The Town Dock, told The Standard-Times the move will do little to help the industry.
“The removal of the turbines gives a very small portion of our traditional fishing grounds back, however we still don’t know how construction and operation are going to affect squid in and around that lease area,” she said.
With spacing of Vineyard Wind turbines starting at eight-tenths of a mile apart, the space represents a few square miles. The wind farm is about 14 miles from shore.
The company said it moved the turbines to limit visibility from the Nantucket Historic District and Chappaquiddick and reduce the impact on fishing.
The town of Nantucket wrote a letter the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management last year asking that Vineyard Wind move 13 turbines — the first three rows — to the far side of the development. Too many visible turbines could negatively affect the character of the island, the town said.
The three turbines that Vineyard Wind decided to move were among those 13.
According to Vineyard Wind’s chief development officer, Erich Stephens, the change was designed to address issues raised by local communities and others.
“Where possible, we have a responsibility to minimize the project’s footprint with respect to the history and culture of the Cape and Islands, and existing uses of these waters,” he said in Monday’s press release announcing the change.
Scott Farmelant, a spokesman for Vineyard Wind, echoed that idea in comments to The Standard-Times on Thursday.
“It was a proactive decision by the company,” he said.
The move was not high on the agenda of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, or RODA, an organization that represents the fishing industry’s concerns about ocean-based development.
RODA Executive Director Annie Hawkins said she did not know of any fishing interests that had asked for the turbines to be moved. The industry is much more concerned about dedicated transit lanes, which she said should be planned in a comprehensive manner for multiple wind leases, not just one.
Fishermen also want the rows of turbines arranged to run horizontally, rather than on a diagonal, which is better for fishing operations, she said. And the industry is concerned about what the development could do to the ecosystem.
“Those are the issues, at RODA, that we care about,” she said.
The place where the turbines were removed is not a major scalloping area, according to scallop fisherman and fishing vessel owner Dan Eilertsen.
Vineyard Wind said it previously reduced the overall footprint of the project by 20% and is taking steps to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
In January, the company signed a five-year agreement with the Conservation Law Foundation, National Wildlife Federation and Natural Resources Defense Council to take steps to protect right whales. They include suspending construction when whales are near the site and reducing construction noise.
https://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20190627/fishermen-say-vineyard-winds-turbine-relocation-makes-no-difference