Tag Archives: fisherman Ed Barrett
‘A lot of people are upset.’ Vineyard Wind compensation offer for fishermen stirs worries
Commercial fishers who are sharing part of their customary fishing waters with Vineyard Wind may be eligible for compensation through the developers Fisheries Compensatory Mitigation Program. Eric Hesse, chairman of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance board, said most of the fishing in the lease area is by dragging. The sandy bottom there is a habitat for fluke, or summer flounder, one of the most important commercial and recreational flatfishes, according to the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. It’s also habitat for longfin squid, skates and monkfish, as well as a fishing area for scallops, sea clams and ocean quahog. But pelagic fish, like tuna — which he fishes for — also migrate through the area. “Who knows how that fishery may be affected,” he said. “It’s a sticky thing and a lot of people are upset.” more, >>click to read<< 07:06
In the Race for Clean Energy, Is Offshore Wind Harming the Nation’s Fisheries?
Tom Hafer remembers the first time the fish stopped biting. It was a little over 20 years ago when fiber optic cables were being installed in waters off the coast of central California, where he fishes commercially for spot prawns and rockfish. The fishing was disrupted for “miles and miles,” says Hafer, who has been fishing since the 1970s. Now, he and many other fishermen are bracing themselves for what could be a much larger threat looming in the water. Offshore wind farms, which are ramping up in the United States, could come at a tremendous cost to fishermen as they are being sited in prime fishing areas. And the process of erecting wind farms and their long-term presence in the water could alter aquatic ecosystems, potentially driving away fish and marine mammals. >click to read< 10:27
Mass commercial fishermen fear offshore wind farm ‘dead zones’, while some do the science for money thing
The 62 wind turbines will be located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and generate enough electricity to power approximately 400,000 homes by the time the project is completed in 2023, Vineyard Wind CEO Lars Pedersen said. He also said it also will create about 3,600 jobs — half of them permanent, the other half construction jobs. (Lars is pulling,,,) But what worries Ed Barrett of Marshfield is what it might do to his livelihood.,, while New Bedford Lobsterman Jarrett Drake supports renewable energy sources like wind energy, if it’s done correctly (yes,,, of course!). Drake uses his 47-foot lobster boat to work for Vineyard Wind and with University of Massachusetts marine biologists,,, >click to read< 12:46
Marshfield’s Ed Barrett named first fishing industry rep to Seaport Economic Council
During his first week in office, State Rep. Patrick Kearney filed joint legislation with State Sen. Patrick O’Connor to add representation from the fishing industry to the state’s Seaport Economic Council. Following revisions to the council’s charter last week, that goal is complete, with Marshfield resident and fisherman Ed Barrett named the first such representative to the council. “I want to thank Governor Baker and Lieutenant Governor Polito for listening to hardworking commercial fishermen.” Kearney said. >click to read<12:11
Fishermen to NOAA: ‘We spend more time getting away from the fish than we do catching the fish’
The fishing industry pleaded with NOAA on Thursday afternoon for the one thing the agency couldn’t promise: urgency. “Unfortunately with the management process that we have, to abide by the law, which obviously we have to do as a federal agency, we have to abide by the law,” NOAA’s Northeast Regional Administrator Mike Pentony said. “We are subject to constraints. It is very difficult for us to react, to change quickly.” A roundtable discussion,,, The roundtable looked at what vision the fishermen and NOAA have for the groundfish industry and then touched on quota. A common theme emerged from the fishing industry as it pelted Pentony with grave concerns regarding the future of the groundfish fishery. “This is the very bottom and the most discouraged mount of fishermen that I’ve seen since I’ve been involved in fisheries and that goes back to the mid-70s,” fisherman Ed Barrett said. “I can’t tell you how bad it is. You can ask any fishermen,” fisherman Ron Borjeson said. “We spend more time getting away from the fish than we do catching the fish.”>click to read<19:03
