Concerns Rise Over Offshore Wind Development’s Impact on Scallop Fisheries in New York Bight Region

The Department of Environmental Control (DOE) is accused of failing to protect scallop fisheries in the mid-Atlantic from a potential boom in offshore wind. Industry workers in the New York region have criticized the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s draft analysis of the potential development of an estimated 1,000 offshore wind turbines in the the N.Y. Bight, a shallow wedge of ocean between New York and New Jersey, is being considered for several offshore wind farms due to leases sold by the Biden administration in 2022. The Fisheries Survival Fund, which represents scallo fishermen, has expressed concern that the scallog fishery will be the most adversely affected from wind development in the area. The public comment period has been extended until March 13 following requests from tribes and other members of the public.