Protect US Fishermen
Fishermen of the West Coast and the processors and suppliers that support them deliver sustainable seafood across the region, country, and the world. Robust state and federal fisheries management combined with strong ocean stewardship of the California Current Ecosystem play a critical role in supporting sustainable seafood.
All of that is now being threatened, as decision-makers rush to solve the problem of climate change without the due diligence such a major undertaking requires. And now, Federal regulators are targeting prime fishing grounds for multiple offshore wind farms off the coast of northern California, Oregon, and Washington which may or may not solve one problem while creating potential food security issues for generations to come.
As food producers, sustainable seafood suppliers are a critical part of our region’s food security. In addition to supplying seafood to restaurants and seafood markets, hundreds of millions of pounds of West Coast seafood provide nutritious protein to underserved communities through foodbanks and school lunch programs around the country. But, if multinational corporations fueled by foreign investors have their way, thousands of floating turbines could be anchored to the ocean floor, endangering fishing, marine mammals, the California Current ecosystem, and more.
An informal coalition of organizations, businesses, and individuals has been joined by cities, ports, counties, and others governmental units in urging the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to fix the flawed process of leasing ocean acreage to private interests before knowing the true consequences of offshore floating wind development. We also ask the leadership in West Coast states to stand with us, reject fast-tracking ocean development, and support responsible offshore floating wind development.
There are many facets to the discussion surrounding offshore wind farms. To take a deeper dive, we recommend this video or the accompanying slide presentation presented by marine biologist Mike Graybill. Mike served as the manager of the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve for 30 years.