Trouble In The Wind: Offshore Turbine Farms Complicate Fishing, Shrimping

"Shrimpers see obstacles that will make their jobs tougher, more dangerous; regulators vow to listen"

"POINT JUDITH, R.I. - Robert Ballinger watches every inch of a long green net as it unfurls from a spool on the back of this boat, the Lena Pearl, one of dozens of fishing vessels packed into a tiny harbor in America’s smallest state. He’s concentrating, looking for any tears or debris that might cause trouble next time he’s trawling off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

He’d prefer to focus on small problems like these and ignore the big one on his mind: the growing array of wind turbines sprouting along the coast. He wouldn’t have much issue with them, he said, if they didn’t happen to work best in the same deep, wind-swept waters where he finds his most lucrative catch.

“Where they want to put those turbines is right where all these are during the summer,” he said, grabbing a squid from the deck and giving its slimy, silvery body a frustrated squeeze. “And the amount they want to put in — it’s mind-boggling. It will change the entire squid season.”"

Tristan Baurick reports for Nola.com November 27, 2021.

SEE ALSO:
 
Part 1: "Louisiana Oil Workers Built First U.S. Offshore Wind Farm On East Coast. Can They Do It On Gulf Coast?" (Nola.com)

Part 2: "The Gulf of Mexico Is Poised For A Wind Energy Boom. 'The Only Question Is When.'" (Nola.com)

Part 3: "Louisiana Sent A 'Strong Signal' To Offshore Wind Developers, But Is It Enough?" (Nola.com)

Part 4: "America's First Offshore Wind Farm Cut Power Bills, Draws Tourists" (Nola.com)