September 17, 2019 — Typically, a warm, clear September day would mean boats in the water for the dozens of fisheries and anglers in South Jersey.
However, more than 50 members of the commercial and recreational fishing community filled a meeting hall inside the city’s convention center for a congressional subcommittee hearing on the impact offshore wind turbines may have on the area’s billion dollar industry.
The hearing, organized by U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-2nd, brought House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Chair U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-California, to hear the concerns of the local fishing and tourism industries that may be affected by the state’s first offshore wind energy projects.
Van Drew, who supports wind energy, wanted to create an open dialogue between Danish power company Orsted and the area’s commercial and recreational fishing industries.