Saving Seafood

State and Local

MASSACHUSETTS: A Giant Offshore Wind Turbine Blade Breaks, Prompting Beach Closures

July 17, 2024 — Debris from a damaged wind turbine blade has been washing up on the shores of Nantucket, Mass., prompting the closure of several beaches to swimmers and spurring an investigation into what caused the mishap.

The incident comes at a turbulent time for the nascent offshore wind industry. Several proposed wind farms off the coasts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York have been canceled or postponed over the past few years as inflation and rising interest rates have upended the economics of the projects. While many Northeastern states are still trying to build offshore wind farms, seeing the technology as their best option for generating emissions-free power, the projects have sometimes faced intense opposition from fishing groups and local homeowners.
The industry could soon face another obstacle: Former President Donald J. Trump, who is now seeking a second term in the White House, has been sharply critical of offshore wind, vowing to halt new projects on “day one” of his presidency if he is re-elected.

Vineyard Wind shut down after turbine failure, “sharp fiberglass shards” wash ashore on Nantucket beaches

July 17, 2024 — The federal government has ordered the Vineyard Wind farm to shut down until further notice because of a turbine blade failure this weekend.

Several beaches were closed on Tuesday while crews worked to clean up “large floating debris and fiberglass shards” from the broken wind turbine blade off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. A total of six south shore Nantucket beaches were closed to swimming due to debris that washed ashore.

“You can walk on the beaches, however we strongly recommend you wear footwear due to sharp, fiberglass shards and debris on the beaches,” the Nantucket Harbormaster said.

Vineyard Wind operations shut down

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said all operations are shut down until further notice.

“A team of BSEE experts is onsite to work closely with Vineyard Wind on an analysis of the cause of the incident and next steps,” the agency said in a statement.

Read the full article at CBS News

 

MASSACHUSETTS: Vineyard Wind turbine blade sustains damage offshore

July 16, 2024 — A 350-foot blade partially broke off a turbine in the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project Saturday night. The company and federal officials as of Tuesday are investigating what caused it.

Anthony Seiger, a commercial clammer out of New Bedford, saw the damaged turbine while he was steaming out to his fishing grounds on Sunday. Photos he captured show one of the three turbine blades dangling against the tower and splintered near the base.

“On July 13, a single turbine at the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm experienced an isolated blade event,” said a spokesperson for GE Vernova, the project’s turbine manufacturer. “No injuries occurred, and GE Vernova’s Wind Fleet Performance Management team have initiated our investigation protocols into the event in coordination with our customer.”

Vineyard Wind’s operations are shut down until further notice, a federal safety agency said Tuesday.

A notice to mariners from the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday night stated the Coast Guard received a report of three pieces of floating debris “10 meters by 2 meters” in the vicinity of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and that “all marines [sic] are requested to use extreme caution while transiting the area.”

At around 7 p.m., USCG was notified of the turbine damage, according to an agency spokesperson.

Read the full article at The New Bedford Light

MASSACHUSETTS: Broken Vineyard Wind Turbine Blade Scatters Debris on Nantucket

July 16, 2024 — A Vineyard Wind turbine blade broke over the weekend, scattering debris into the Atlantic and prompting an investigation by the manufacturer and federal officials.

The offshore wind energy company, which is in the middle of constructing a 62-turbine wind farm about 14 miles south of the Vineyard, said a 107-meter blade broke on Saturday about 20 meters from the root, but was largely still attached to the turbine.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is investigating the incident and said Monday that operations at the wind farm are shut down until further notice.

The malfunction is a setback for the Vineyard Wind, the first approved and currently largest offshore wind energy project in the country.

Read the full article at the Vineyard Gazette

MASSACHUSETTS: Inside look at the plans for State Pier

July 16, 2024 — A marine industrial hub. A “boat-to-table” restaurant. A public fish auction hosting culinary seafood experiences.

These are just a few of the proposals submitted in May to MassDevelopment to redevelop a central but “underutilized” strip of New Bedford’s waterfront: the State Pier. After many false starts and a bitter power struggle between state and city politicians, each side has expressed relief that the long-awaited overhaul is moving forward.

“I want to salute the business community for mobilizing to shake up the static condition of that pier,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said, speaking in May at a gathering for businesses to present their development proposals to MassDevelopment, state legislators and the public. “You have the city and the port authority’s full support on this.”

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

ALASKA: Recycling firm will pick up fishing nets this summer

July 16, 2024 — For harvesters in Cordova interested in recycling those huge, old commercial fishing nets, there are still two opportunities to do so before the season winds down.

Nicole Baker, of Net Your Problem, came to Cordova’s Sandy Point and spoke with harvesters about the two final recycling periods: Aug. 2-3 and Sept. 27-28. Net Your Problem has already conducted four prior recycling sessions, the first in May.

Baker said gillnet harvesters are instructed to strip cork lines, weedlines and lead lines and keep hangings out of the net. Leads and corks should be saved in a separate pile for recycling. Seiners must strip off cork lines, purse lines, chafe gear and lead lines. Save the leads and corks, purse line and chafe for recycling in a separate pile.

Read the full article at The Cordova Times

FLORIDA: Cortez fishers sound alarm on shark depredation

July 16, 2024 — A discussion has surfaced in Cortez where commercial fishers say they are reeling in the consequences of federal legislation aimed at conserving shark populations.

They say a 2011 law created hardships and they now are grappling with depredation issues caused by more frequent encounters with apex predators due to higher populations.

The Shark Conservation Act of 2011 was intended to improve shark conservation in the United States. The law amended the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 and the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act of 1992 and provides, in part, that sharks caught in U.S. waters must be brought to shore with fins naturally attached.

Shark finning, banned in many parts of the world, involves cutting off fins and discarding the fish, sometimes still alive. The fins often are used as an aphrodisiac or for soup that can cost up to $100 per bowl.

With protective legislation and bans in effect for more than a decade, fishers now say there are too many sharks.

“Regulation is good but a complete stop is too extreme,” said Nate Meschelle, a Cortez commercial captain, who spoke to The Islander July 11.

Read the full article at The Islander

Wondering about wind farm plans east of Cape Cod? There’s a public meeting coming up

July 16, 2024 — Federal plans to open up the Gulf of Maine for offshore wind production — including in ocean areas directly east of the outermost Cape towns — will be the topic of discussion at a public information session in Eastham on Wednesday.

The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and the state Division of Marine Fisheries are hosting the session with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management at the Four Points by Sheraton, 3800 State Highway, Eastham, 6-8 p.m.

A Bureau of Ocean Energy Management spokesperson said the event will be in-person only, but noted there are recordings of recent virtual meetings with the same information at tinyurl.com/gulfofmainewindinfo for those unable to attend.

Read the full article at Yahoo! News

After Environmental Disasters, NOAA Works to Restore Habitat for All

July 16, 2024 — Each July NOAA celebrates Habitat Month, a month-long ode to our habitat conservation efforts. In particular, the Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP) aims to restore habitat for fisheries and wildlife which also supports recreation and tourism for people.

Since its inception more than 30 years ago, DARRP has assessed, restored, and protected coastal environments damaged by oil spills, hazardous waste releases, and vessel groundings. NOAA and other federal and state agencies, called trustees, have recovered more than $10.7 billion from polluters. With partners, we’ve used these funds to restore important habitats and natural resources nationwide.

When oil or hazardous waste spills into the environment, it harms habitats, and can limit outdoor recreational activities like fishing, boating, and swimming. Through DARRP, NOAA helps restore and reconnect all walks of life to these natural spaces. Read on to learn about four recent restoration projects.

Read the full artile at NOAA Fisheries 

FAO endorses new aquaculture guidelines at UN Committee on Fisheries meeting

July 16, 2024 — The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations’ Committee on Fisheries (COFI) has endorsed a new set of guidelines for aquaculture designed to develop a set of best practices for the industry worldwide.

The Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) was designed with the aid of NOAA and other stakeholders and officially endorsed by COFI at the committee’s 36th session in Rome, Italy. The new guidelines come after the FAO’s State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report showed that fisheries and aquaculture production hit a new high of 223.2 million metric tons (MT) in 2022 – with aquaculture contributing over 57 percent of aquatic animal products for direct human consumption.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource