Background
Discussions on the prospect of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine has been ongoing for a number of years. Due to the depth of the waters off of the Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts coasts in the Gulf, floating offshore wind turbines will be the technology used if approved. The pilot project planned with the University of Maine, Maine Aqua Ventus, was approved in November 2019 for one turbine south of Monhegan Island.
BOEM convened the first Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Task Force in December 2019. Currently there is minimal opportunity for the fishing industry to participate on this Task Force as the representative groups only include federal and state agencies. RODA submitted a letter to the governors of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts with specific requests from our members that operate and live in the region. In particular, we stress the need for a fisheries-driven GOM regional working group selected and supported by the fishermen, processors, dealers and community members of the Gulf.