BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 24, 2023
The process for designating areas suitable for offshore wind generation in the Gulf of Maine is advancing with the goal of awarding the first lease contracts in late 2024. Some see this as a golden opportunity. Others see it as a tragic loss. Whatever your point of view, in the near future massive industrial activity will be introduced into what has always been a wild, unfettered ecology. Lobster Management Area 1 is arguably the most prolific and valuable fishing ground in the U.S, perhaps the world. In October, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released its latest draft of a potential “Wind Energy Area” where leasing would occur. Most of Lobster Management Area 1 is now excluded from the lease process, not just for its value to fisheries, but because of its unique ecological character and diversity. As offshore wind development unfolds, it will occupy thousands of square nautical miles of ocean. In the future, the fishing industry and the wind industry will be sharing space on the water and on the waterfront. Both of these industries could benefit from working together. ~ John Williamson