Rhode Island Fishermen, Scientists Study Impact of Offshore Wind Farm on Fisheries
Matthew Griffin and Brian Jenkins measure and weigh all fish species caught for research on the Block Island Wind Farm’s potential impacts to fish.
Photo credit: Ambar Espinoza
The nation’s first offshore wind farm off the coast of Block Island will start producing electricity any day now. It’s a pilot project that will change the way the people on this small island power their homes and businesses. They’ve relied on importing diesel fuel up to this point.
Today we bring you a story about another group that has a stake in this project: fishermen. A small crew of fishermen has been working with scientists to gather data and learn how fishing will or won’t change around the wind turbines.
Every month for the past four and a half years, Captain Rodman Sykes has sailed out toward the Block Island Sound with his crew and a small group of scientists.
They tow a fish net and scrape the seafloor twice in three different locations: within the area of the Block Island Wind Farm and in areas close to it for reference.