WASHINGTON – January 16, 2020 – The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance
(RODA) is excited to announce the launch of a Pacific Advisory Committee, which brings
RODA’s mission of improving the compatibility of new offshore development with
commercial fishing to the West Coast.
As discussions of offshore wind development in the U.S. continue to progress, Pacific
fishermen have expressed significant concern over the lack of communication and
collaboration necessary to inform coexistence among ocean users.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has identified 3 Call Areas off of
California as areas of interest for offshore wind development. The strongest wind speeds
are located along the North Coast, near the BOEM Humboldt Call Area. The other two sites,
Morro Bay and Diablo Canyon, for possible development are located on the Central Coast
(For more information visit the California Offshore Wind Energy Gateway). BOEM has also
initiated a process for siting offshore wind projects off of Oregon, although it has not yet
identified Call Areas there.
The RODA-Pacific Advisory Committee is comprised of leaders from several West Coast
fisheries throughout California and Oregon. Its purpose is to improve science and policy
approaches to development, while also increasing and improving communication to help
strengthen ties between Pacific fishermen and fishing communities across the country.
As of January 1st 2020, the RODA West Coast advisory committee consists of:
– Mike Conroy, West Coast Fisheries Consultants
– Hugh Link & Tim Novotny, Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission
– Mike Okoniewski, Pacific Seafood Group
– Noah Oppenheim, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations
– Peter Flournoy, International Law Offices of San Diego
– Steven Scheiblauer, Marine Alliances Consulting
– Lori Steele, West Coast Seafood Processors Association (WCSPA)
– Susan Chambers, WCSPA and Southern Oregon Ocean Resource Coalition
Additional Pacific fishing industry organizations and representatives are invited to contact
RODA for inquiries about membership.
RODA is a membership-based alliance of fishing businesses and communities that provides
a “strength in numbers” approach to advocacy on issues of mutual interest to seafood
harvesters, processors, and affiliated entities. It works on behalf of fishermen with
regulators, offshore developers, science experts, and others to coordinate science and
policy approaches to proposed ocean development in a way that minimizes conflicts with
existing traditional and historic fishing.