Abstract
In 2019, Governor Mills established the Maine Offshore Wind Initiative with the goal of identifying opportunities for development in the Gulf of Maine, and determining how the state can best position itself to benefit from future offshore wind projects while minimizing impact on Maine’s commercial fishing and maritime industries. In 2021, bipartisan legislation established the Maine Offshore Wind Research Consortium to better understand the local and regional impacts of floating offshore wind (FOW) in the Gulf of Maine.
In 2024, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management concluded a multi-year planning process informed by government officials and stakeholders to identify lease areas in the Gulf of Maine. Upon spatial analysis, stakeholder input and urging from Maine's Congressional delegation and Governor Mills, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management identified eight lease areas intentionally avoiding many fishing areas in the Gulf of Maine, including the exclusion of Lobster Management Area 1, among others.
As part of Maine’s commitment to responsible offshore wind development, the Maine Offshore Wind Research Consortium Advisory Board identified coexistence of FOW projects with fisheries as a priority research topic. In response to this priority, ERM Consulting & Engineering, Inc. (ERM) and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute won a competitive award released by the Maine Governor’s Energy Office to explore approaches to fisheries’ coexistence with FOW. This report synthesizes research on the interaction between and coexistence of fisheries and FOW, incorporates Maine fishermen’s experience and feedback, summarizes recommendations to promote effective coexistence between fisheries and FOW in the Gulf of Maine, and identifies additional research needed to support coexistence practices. The Project explores the potential for coexistence between FOW and fisheries in the Proposed Lease Areas and builds on existing guidelines, regulations, and recommendations aimed at protecting fishing industry, access, and habitats.
To achieve the Project objectives, ERM conducted desktop research, including reviewing global case studies and regulatory frameworks, conducted a technical compatibility assessment of fishing technologies with FOW technologies, and identified preliminary recommendations to promote coexistence. Gulf of Maine Research Institute led three phases of stakeholder engagement to understand fishermen’s perspectives on coexistence with FOW technology and solicit and integrate fishermen’s feedback on the desktop research, technical compatibility assessment, and preliminary recommendations.
FOW may enhance biological productivity and create refuges for marine organisms, but its large spatial footprint and subsea infrastructure create potential conflicts with fishing operations, including the potential for FOW developments to restrict fishermen’s access to certain areas of the ocean and the potential for fishing gear to become entangled with FOW infrastructure. In addition, fishermen are concerned about the economic impacts of FOW on commercial fishing, particularly regarding accessibility and potential gear entanglement.
The compatibility of fishing gear with FOW infrastructure varies depending on the fishing gear type and the FOW technology – both of which are likely to evolve before FOW is commercially developed in the Gulf of Maine. Of the FOW technical components (e.g., platform, mooring, cabling), the mooring type is particularly impactful because it takes up the most space in the water and influences the cabling. For many types of fishing gear, technical compatibility with FOW will require that the inter-array cables are buried. The specific type of FOW technology and the feasibility of these cables being buried will depend on site-specific geological, geotechnical and environmental constraints.
The Project findings highlight the need for additional social, regulatory, and engineering solutions to promote coexistence. Existing case studies can be leveraged for lessons learned and best practices from other industries and geographies, which may be applicable to the Gulf of Maine. Fishermen request transparency and collaboration; they want to have a voice in all phases of FOW development in the Gulf of Maine, including site selection and design. With input from stakeholders there is the potential to optimize wind farm layouts through micro-siting, minimizing spatial conflicts and enhancing compatibility with other ocean users such as fishermen. Establishing adaptive management frameworks and developing compensation protocols is recommended, though fishermen stress that enabling fishing to continue should be prioritized above compensation. Lastly, commercial development of FOW in the Gulf of Maine is still several years in the future and there is an opportunity to incorporate innovative technology and engineer solutions that may promote coexistence of fisheries and FOW.
This research highlights opportunities as well as knowledge gaps and potential topics for future research. There is a need to collect empirical data, which can then be used to support innovation and adaptation to further promote coexistence. Fishermen have unanswered questions about how insurers will handle FOW and what impacts it may have on their coverage, and they are eager for more site-specific information when it is available, including specific details about proposed FOW layouts and designs. This Project underscores the importance of balancing FOW development with the needs of Maine’s fishing industry and marine ecosystems. Through collaborative, data-driven and adaptive management, it is possible to promote sustainable energy generation and Maine’s fishing industry.
The associated presentation slides from February 2025 can be found here.