Because commercial fishermen typically have concerns about wind projects, federal regulators require offshore developers to establish a “fisheries representative.”
The New Bedford Port Authority reached an agreement with all the developers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to serve as the designated representative of the commercial fishing industry here.
“As the epicenter of commercial fishing in the Northwest Atlantic, New Bedford is the most logical place for the offshore wind industry to interface with fishermen,” Mayor Jon Mitchell, who also serves as chair of the port authority, said in a statement.
In its new role, the port authority will work with developers, state and federal regulators to lessen the impacts of offshore wind on commercial fishermen and their operations.
Right now, two large-scale offshore wind projects are under development in federal waters off of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
The New Bedford Port Authority manages the nation’s largest commercial fishing port.
