April 27, 2022 โ The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and offshore wind energy developers are pledging to do better by commercial fishermen โ with fisheries studies, scout boats to head off survey conflicts with fishing gear, and bringing on highly experienced and respected fishermen as industry liaisons.
Incidents of survey boats towing through fixed gear in Mid-Atlantic waters are putting those processes to the test. Conch and black sea bass trap fishermen who have had gear damaged off the Delmarva coast and New Jersey brought their complaints to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
At an April 5 briefing Amanda Lefton, director of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and wind developers รrsted and Atlantic Shores updated the regional fishery management council on plans for two adjacent turbine projects off Atlantic City and Long Beach Island, N.J. โ and BOEMโs recent $4.37 billion sale of New York Bight wind leases that could become even bigger arrays farther out on the continental shelf.
Then they heard from fishermen who have seen their conch and black sea bass gear dragged and damaged by survey vessels working on wind leases off New Jersey and the Delmarva peninsula.
New Jersey captain Joe Wagner Jr. told the council how he lost 157 bass traps in 2021 during a survey around the รrsted Ocean Wind project area.
โThe only reason I got somewhat of a payment (compensation) is because I caught their vessel at 3 oโclock in the morning pulling three of my high flyers behind their boat,โ said Wagner.