Offshore wind, local shops, crabbing, and more

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by hammer4reel

Offshore wind is the dumbest thing they have ever tried to do .
If you knew anything about electrical generation you would understand how bad it is .
Besides the corrosive environment .

There hasn’t been one single offshore project meet the 5 year guidelines for approvals . Most didn’t even make it a second year .

Why turn our fishing grounds into a junkyard

Because a ""junkyard"" if it were sunk to the bottom, would be absolutely teeming with invertebrates and fish life within the first year..

The bottom near the Block Island wind towers has become a great fishing area, loaded with life. I imagine some people screamed about offshore oil rigs as well years ago, yet Gulf anglers and charter captains would scream if they were removed these days.. Same story throughout European offshore wind farms.. Loaded with fish. I can understand if the towers were an eyesore for beachfront towns, but if they are beyond the horizon I just don't understand the consternation.. Lots of sand bottom out there with fairly sparse life.. Many anglers that are complaining would probably be among the first out there drifting around those steel supports. Look, I don't live there, and getting up in age so I have doubts it will ever affect me personally, but I don't understand the problem so many have with the towers that are proven fish magnets.. No one would complain a bit if they were going to sink 100 old barges out there.. Is it a visual thing?... Killing of some gulls and terns? Hopefully some cormorants as well!... I don't think they will generate enough power to even make them worthwhile, but from what I gather on these pages, its the environmental impact most are worried about.....

[hammer4reel]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

Because a ""junkyard"" if it were sunk to the bottom, would be absolutely teeming with invertebrates and fish life within the first year..

The bottom near the Block Island wind towers has become a great fishing area, loaded with life. I imagine some people screamed about offshore oil rigs as well years ago, yet Gulf anglers and charter captains would scream if they were removed these days.. Same story throughout European offshore wind farms.. Loaded with fish. I can understand if the towers were an eyesore for beachfront towns, but if they are beyond the horizon I just don't understand the consternation.. Lots of sand bottom out there with fairly sparse life.. Many anglers that are complaining would probably be among the first out there drifting around those steel supports. Look, I don't live there, and getting up in age so I have doubts it will ever affect me personally, but I don't understand the problem so many have with the towers that are proven fish magnets.. No one would complain a bit if they were going to sink 100 old barges out there.. Is it a visual thing?... Killing of some gulls and terns? Hopefully some cormorants as well!... I don't think they will generate enough power to even make them worthwhile, but from what I gather on these pages, its the environmental impact most are worried about.....

They have to ruin bottom to drive the monopiles .
Areas that have been fished for centuries .
If you read the contracts the areas have a five year time frame where other boats are not allowed in the area .
After the 5 years they will decide IF you will be allowed to fish in the area or not .
IMO they will consider it a security area and not allow us to.
Once they start breaking apart as has happened at other pilot locations you definitely won’t be near them .
Wind turbines go into free spin at winds that we see daily . All the ORIGINAL info said the operate best between 10 to 20 knots . They now claim they don’t go into storm mode until 50. But knowing guys installing them inland they claim they go into free spin well lower than that .
It’s excessive wear and tear doing nothing .
It’s by far the most expensive way to produce electricity, and one of the least efficient .

We aren’t even allowed to blow out our slips disturbing silt deposits .
Yet they want to drive monopiles hundreds of feet into the sea , then dig trenches all over the Barneget bay to lay transmission lines .

The noise from the pile drivings as well as the testing required pushes fish away quickly .
Lots of video was done in Maryland showing how quick areas become void of life .
Are we supposed to wait 10 years to maybe have better fishing .

Solar fields are still being built at a ridiculous rate inland . Many don’t understand how bad we are contaminating the soils and aqua ferns with just their rain run off .
Fields they are built in are not allowed to remove them and even grow livestock crops for 100 years .

Much better ways to produce electricity without less damage to all the spots we get food from . Both on land and Oceanside .

[bulletbob]

Understood.. personally the only problem I would have would be access.. If it were open and free, no problem.. If the forbid it or restrict it in any way, big problem... Fishermen in Block Island pull up right against those stantions and start fishing, no worries.. I doubt NJ guys have much to fear anyway. It doesn't seem to have much support... bob

[hammer4reel]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

Understood.. personally the only problem I would have would be access.. If it were open and free, no problem.. If the forbid it or restrict it in any way, big problem... Fishermen in Block Island pull up right against those stantions and start fishing, no worries.. I doubt NJ guys have much to fear anyway. It doesn't seem to have much support... bob

There was ALOT of area to be encompassed by turbines here .

[Chrisper4694]

Remember.... adding obvious structure like this doesnt magically make more fish appear. It draws from the biomass already nearby. Also the very obvious and easy to target structure now puts extra strain on the fishery due to the ease of targeting them.... and this is all a big HUGE IF they even allow vessels near them.... which, knowing our government, they will NOT.

We discuss all this in the episode as well.

[Jigman13]

The turbines off block island power next to nothing. Ask a block island local like I did while I was there 3 years ago. They still burn mostly fossil fuels for energy. The turbines generate next to nothing, and that's when they're actually working.

Do they draw fish? Yes. An artificial reef would've done the same without the eye sore of those ridiculous turbines.

This is the 2nd time it's been halted. I hope it stays that way.

[Chrisper4694]

Originally Posted by Jigman13

The turbines off block island power next to nothing. Ask a block island local like I did while I was there 3 years ago. They still burn mostly fossil fuels for energy. The turbines generate next to nothing, and that's when they're actually working.

Do they draw fish? Yes. An artificial reef would've done the same without the eye sore of those ridiculous turbines.

This is the 2nd time it's been halted. I hope it stays that way.

Yeah, these hings just arent efficient enough for the power grids they supply here... its fact. People just like to pretend being pro wind makes them a good person i think idk. It defies logic.

[hammer4reel]

Originally Posted by Jigman13

The turbines off block island power next to nothing. Ask a block island local like I did while I was there 3 years ago. They still burn mostly fossil fuels for energy. The turbines generate next to nothing, and that's when they're actually working.

Do they draw fish? Yes. An artificial reef would've done the same without the eye sore of those ridiculous turbines.

This is the 2nd time it's been halted. I hope it stays that way.

They really were not meant to .
It was a pilot project . They are done on a super small scale to work out the bugs before a large project is done .

They didn’t meet the requirements of five years to even be considered worthy of information besides it DIDNT work .
They are all offline , and like you said now a ridiculous eyesore .

[sbalewitz74]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

Because a ""junkyard"" if it were sunk to the bottom, would be absolutely teeming with invertebrates and fish life within the first year..

The bottom near the Block Island wind towers has become a great fishing area, loaded with life. I imagine some people screamed about offshore oil rigs as well years ago, yet Gulf anglers and charter captains would scream if they were removed these days.. Same story throughout European offshore wind farms.. Loaded with fish. I can understand if the towers were an eyesore for beachfront towns, but if they are beyond the horizon I just don't understand the consternation.. Lots of sand bottom out there with fairly sparse life.. Many anglers that are complaining would probably be among the first out there drifting around those steel supports. Look, I don't live there, and getting up in age so I have doubts it will ever affect me personally, but I don't understand the problem so many have with the towers that are proven fish magnets.. No one would complain a bit if they were going to sink 100 old barges out there.. Is it a visual thing?... Killing of some gulls and terns? Hopefully some cormorants as well!... I don't think they will generate enough power to even make them worthwhile, but from what I gather on these pages, its the environmental impact most are worried about.....

If the windfarm idea is so great and good for the environment why would anyone care if they were visible from shore? Same NIMBY bullshit.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by sbalewitz74

If the windfarm idea is so great and good for the environment why would anyone care if they were visible from shore? Same NIMBY bullshit.

I don't think they are great or particularly good or bad for the environment.. I only think the structures and adjacent bottom would create a lot of new habitat, and that fishing around them would be very good to spectacular in a few short years..


Offshore oil rigs are certainly not good for the environment, and are eyesores of the highest order... However, ask a few gulf fishermen if they would like them removed..