February 22, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Fisheries Survival Fund, representing the offshore scallop industry, sent two people to the UK last year to make a short film on the interactions between wind farm development and the fishing industry.
They found that initially, the UK government granted leases without even informing fishermen, who found out only when their grounds were already slated for development. Subsequently, new process have brought in the industry very early on in the license process, but many feel they are ‘listened to, but not heard’.
One of the biggest issues on one of the wind farms highlighted in the film are the sediment plumes which have changed the ecology of the local area, and driven away fish.
The Fisheries Survival Fund is particularly concerned about placement of leases in major scallop grounds, making the suggestion in the film that changes in sediment, water turbidity, and tide flows could negatively impact scallops.
The video highlights the need for fishing knowledge and input early in the process of siting and developing offshore wind farms. English fishermen explain how they were not given the opportunity to provide input into the siting of the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, which lies seven miles off the coast of Kent, England, right in the middle of important fishing grounds.
Several leases have already been awarded for wind farms off the East Coast of the U.S., including one in an area that is prime grounds for sea scallops. Additional lease areas are also currently under consideration.
This story was originally published by SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.