Study Says Offshore Wind Could Impact New Bedford Scallop Industry

Scallops are an important contributor to the success of the New Bedford fishing Industry. Without scallops, the industry as we know it would cease to exist.

"The impact of the species in New Bedford is massive," NPR reported. "About 80 percent of the seafood, by value, that arrives on the docks here comes from scallops, according to a 2020 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries."

NPR reported about two-thirds of the 500 or so fishing vessels that fish out of New Bedford "are going out for scallops."

Anything that might disrupt that scenario is cause for concern.

The New Bedford Light recently reported on a new study, prepared by Sarah Borsetti, a fisheries researcher at Rutgers University's Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, that indicates offshore wind development could "hinder scallop fishing."

"The study, published in mid-December, found that while offshore wind may not change scallop fishing much, causing only an estimated 4 percent increase in travel time, even that amount of change could still leave a major impact on the highly lucrative and sensitive industry," the Light reported.

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In the report, Borsetti writes: "Wind energy development is planned for key areas on the U.S. mid-Atlantic shelf where the Atlantic sea scallop fishery operates, creating novel challenges in managing trade-offs between traditional users like fisheries and new users like offshore wind energy."

Borsetti concludes that "wind energy lease areas have minor impacts on the present-day fisheries" and that "offshore wind development may have limited impact on fishing." Changes brought about by offshore wind development may result, however, in "substantial economic impacts" for scallop fishing.