As the former mayor of New Bedford, former regional administrator of NOAA Fisheries, and as president of the Board of the New Bedford Ocean Cluster, I know that commercial fishing and offshore wind can co-exist and thrive. But this requires honest communication about the real conflicts between wind and fishing that need science-based thinking, baseline and ongoing research, respectful listening, and collaborative problem solving.
This is made so much more difficult when there is an ongoing disinformation campaign that distorts the facts, presents false information, and operates with motives that can’t be trusted and that are geared towards stopping projects rather than solving problems.
Citing so-called “research,” often provided by fossil fuel-funded think tanks, opponents of offshore wind up and down the East Coast are pushing the false narrative that the industry is killing endangered whales. There is no evidence of this and we cannot allow these lies to stand uncorrected.
The truth is we know what kills whales: ship strikes and entanglements. There is no evidence that offshore wind is responsible for any whale deaths. We also know that warming waters drove right whales into Canadian waters in 2017 in search of food where they hadn’t often been seen before and where they lacked the protections that existed in the United States. The result was a tragic loss of 12 right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in that single year.
The truth is New England’s ocean is warming faster than anywhere else in the United States. Climate change is happening now — we see it in increasingly powerful storms, in rising seas and soaring temperatures, massive forest fires and shifting fish stocks. It’s time to act, and offshore wind may be our region’s single best opportunity to replace burning fossil fuels — the cause of all this — with clean electricity.
Many of the individuals and groups seeking to stall offshore wind with lawsuits and disinformation are driven by concerns about views from oceanfront homes, while others are clearly fronts for increased fossil fuel use. No matter their motivation, the goal is the same: to slow down or stop offshore wind.
We need responsible offshore wind projects to succeed. It is incumbent upon clean energy advocates to make the viability of our fishing industry and the protection and fate of whales, particularly endangered right whales, a top priority. That takes a lot of serious fact-based communication between everyone involved. That communication leads to understanding and that understanding leads to actions that make a difference, whether it is transit lanes for fishermen or speed limits that protect whales.
Before projects get the green light, wind developers need to take concrete steps, including agreeing to speed limits of 10 knots or less; requiring workers to be housed on work sites as is done in Europe to dramatically cut boat trips; increasing monitoring via observers on fishing boats, passive acoustic buoys and aerial surveys, along with industry-funded research on whale abundance and distribution, and new whale detection and protection technologies.
Fishermen have legitimate concerns about access to the fishing grounds and the impacts of wind on habitat, both of which must be addressed. Developers and the fishing industry need to bring the best science and data to the table and engage in open and honest dialogue which seeks to float all boats.
All of this is made much harder if you have ill-intentioned actors muddying the waters with malicious half-truths.
Offshore wind is ready to replace fossil fuels. Visit my city of New Bedford and you will see a port that is being transformed before your eyes. Under the leadership of Mayor Jon Mitchell, virtually every pier in the city is being rebuilt to serve fishing, offshore wind, and other maritime uses. We are committed to leading the way in offshore wind as we have done for decades as the nation’s top dollar fishing port. We cannot let an increasingly well-funded and distressingly effective campaign of disinformation and outright lies slow that down. In New Bedford all parties are talking to one another and listening.
John K. Bullard was Mayor of New Bedford, head of the first federal office of sustainability at NOAA, then served as regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries in the Northeast. He is chair of the New Bedford Ocean Cluster and the Westport Community Resilience Committee. He is also a co-founder of The New Bedford Light.
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Would former Mayor Bullard cite his sources for his article concerning that the whales are NOT being endangered by the construction of wind turbines off Martha’s Vineyard.
There’s nothing also saying it does not cause whale death.all of it is a guess either way.. here’s one for ya wwjd?
What a shill for the Green New Steal. Former NOAA administrator equals zero credibility. Follow the $$$ on this bird.
I appreciate the request of Susan Mattson for specific evidence proving that whales are NOT endangered. However, it is usually very hard to prove a negative! I have also been concerned about potential negative influences on whales, but I admit not having taken the appropriate amount of time to study the science (the initial assertions regarding disturbing their communication methods just seemed to make some sense). Rigorous scientific examination of this issue is clearly what is needed.
Haven’t heard of any dead whales and dolphins washing up on shore in NJ since they halted windmill off shore development due to being broke.
So an activity starts, numerous dead whales and dolphins start cropping up.
Halt activity, dead whales and dolphins no longer appear?
Wonder why?