Tag Archives: John Keene

Wind turbines and a shadow over Island fishers

Their boat is named Redemption. And as seventeen-year-old Tegan Gale walked onto the lobster boat docked at Tashmoo landing on a warm March Day, he was thinking about what the boat meant to him and about his future. Tegan says he loves being out on the water, and he wants to keep the family tradition alive, but he’s up against what he sees as big business and a lot of uncertainty. And now, there’s another layer of uncertainty: the new offshore wind industry. Tegan isn’t alone. Several Island fishermen say the new industry has the potential to disrupt their work for years to come. They have questions about the impacts of underwater cables extending from the turbines and dragging nets over the high-voltage wires. They also have fears about the impact to sea life during construction of the offshore wind farms. more, >>click to read<< 13:26

Saving the Small Fishing Industry, One Permit at a Time

Mr. Hopkins has the Island’s lone sea scalloping permit, a million-dollar commercial fisherman’s license the trust purchased and now leases to Mr. Hopkins. The trust works as a permit bank, buying pricey fishing licenses, lobster tags, and other permits so they can lease them to independent fishermen on the Island at less than market price. In a wide-ranging interview with the Gazette this week, trust president John Keene and executive director Dr. Shelley Edmundson discussed the work of the organization and its efforts to maintain an economically viable, independent fishing community on the Island. >click to read<11:44