Abstract
Renewable energy, in particular offshore wind energy, is an important national investment and a growing industry. The implementation of Marine Spatial Planning is equally important for balancing such uses of the ocean. Marine Spatial Planning includes stakeholder analysis, which is the identification and inclusion of all parties using a marine resource over space and time. The goal of my thesis is to assess the impact of an offshore wind farm on mobile gear fishing communities that rely most on Nantucket Sound. The Cape Wind Project,owned by private developer Cape Wind Associates, Limited Liability Company,was granted approval in 2011 for its Construction and Operations Plan by the U.S.Department of Interior. Cape Wind was the first U.S. offshore wind project to be fully permitted and to have been issued a commercial lease. In April 2010, Department of Interior Secretary had announced the Record of Decision for the Cape Wind Project, selecting Horseshoe Shoal (within Nantucket Sound) as the site location for construction of the Cape Wind Project. The project is planned to consist of 130 wind turbine generators in a grid pattern over approximately 25 square miles (64.8 square kilometers) of the 46 leased square miles (119.1 square kilometers). Construction of Cape Wind is currently delayed because of litigations and the termination of contracts with utility companies who had previously agreed to buy power. In addition, the state-run Energy Facilities Siting Board issued a decision on March 29, 2016 to deny Cape Wind Associates permits for an electricity transmission line to run through state-owned territory in Nantucket Sound, Hyannis Harbor, and across several Cape towns. Cape Wind initially planned to file a new application for electricity transmission permits, but the company has since dismissed its appeal seeking to extend state permits to connect the project to the electric grid. My thesis has the following objectives: 1) to characterize the commercial mobile gear fishery for fluke, squid, and other targeted species in Nantucket Sound, specifically on Horseshoe Shoal, by surveying trawl fishermen holding Coastal Access Permits and mapping "high intensity" fishing grounds within Nantucket Sound via Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries sea sampling data 1993-2012; 2) to assess the net income of Horseshoe Shoal to commercial mobile gear fishermen by employing a discount model to predict future economic impacts of the Cape Wind Project footprint over its 25-year operation; and 3) to review guidance from Marine Spatial Planning, as documented in two New England management plans and two European case studies, to form recommendations for Best Management Practices in the future. I conducted two surveys in 2011 and 2013 by mail, and I received responses from 40-45% of the surveyed population. Respondents relied primarily on fishing for annual income. Based on the results of my surveys, it was evident that Nantucket Sound, especially Horseshoe Shoal, is a vital fishing ground for their income. There were mixed opinions on the ability, safety, and willingness to continue fishing on Horseshoe Shoal if a wind farm were constructed there.There are distinct fishing "hot spots" within Nantucket Sound, including the shelf break of Horseshoe Shoal. Fishing vessels "follow the run," as indicated by catch locations during spring versus summer migratory months for fluke and squid. Between 1993-2012, fish caught from Horseshoe Shoal accounted for 29-30% ofthe total valued mobile gear fishery in Nantucket Sound. Projected economic importance of Horseshoe Shoal over the next 25 years is estimated at $1,100,000, with a confidence interval of $923,000- $1,300,000. This estimate differs from a previous study of $8,000,000- $13,000,000 but is significantly more than Cape Wind's estimate of a $182,803 impact to all gear types combined. New initiatives from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management regarding Wind Energy Areas, as well as established practices by Rhode Island and Massachusetts, havebeen pioneers in Marine Spatial Planning efforts in the future. The fishingcommunity was not consulted when Cape Wind was in its early stages of approval for siting at Horseshoe Shoal. By contrast, European wind farms included thefishing community when siting, developing plans, constructing, and operating offshore wind farms. My research, as it pertains to the commercial mobile gear fishing industry, can be used to inform Regional Ocean Councils on future offshore wind development sites, highlighting the potential conflict between renewable energy and traditional fishing grounds.