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MS Thesis Defense - Department of Fisheries Oceanography/School for Marine Science and Technology - Stephanie Thompson

When: Friday, October 28, 2016
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Where: > See description for location
Description: STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS OF FEDERAL AND STATE-PERMITTED TRAWLING VESSELS IN HORSESHOE SHOAL, NANTUCKET SOUND

by Stephanie Thompson

Advisor Steven Cadrin

Friday, October 28, 2016
1 pm

SMAST II, Room 157
200 Mill Road
Fairhaven, MA

Renewable energy, in particular offshore wind energy, is an important national investment and a growing industry. The implementation of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is equally important for balancing such uses of the ocean. MSP 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 is 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 announced the Record of Decision for the Cape Wind Project, selecting Horseshoe Shoal (within Nantucket Sound) as the sited 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 twenty-five square miles of the forty-six leased square miles. 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 Cod wind permits for an electricity transmission line to run through state-owned territory in Nantucket Sound, Hyannis Harbor, and across several Cape Towns. Cape Wind plans to file a new application for electricity transmission permits. 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 twenty-five 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 (BMPs) 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 mostly or solely on fishing for annual income. 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. The locations of catches differ by spring and summer, based on a “following the run” in search of fluke and squid during migratory months. Between 1993-2012, fish caught from Horseshoe Shoal accounted for 29-30% of the total valued mobile gear fishery in Nantucket Sound. Projected economic importance of Horseshoe Shoal over the next twenty-five years is estimated at $1.1 million, with a confidence interval of $923,000- $1.3 million. This estimate differs from a previous study of $8- $13 million 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, have paved the way for Marine Spatial Planning efforts in the future. The fishing community was not consulted when Cape Wind was in its early stages of approval for siting at Horseshoe Shoal. By contrast, European wind farms included the fishing community when siting, developing plans, constructing, and operating offshore wind farms. My research 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.

for more information, please contact cfox@umassd.edu
Contact: > See Description for contact information
Topical Areas: University Community, Lectures and Seminars