The Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) convened a meeting of both the Fishermen’s Advisory Board (established under the CRMC’s Ocean Special Area Management Plan) was held on Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. in the Coastal Hazards Room, University of Rhode Island, Bay Campus, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI.

Fishermen’s Advisory Board Members Present
Lanny Dellinger, Chair
Mike Marchetti
Chris Brown
Brian Thibeault
Rick Bellevance
Greg Mataronas

1. WELCOME – Grover J. Fugate, CRMC Executive Director

Mr. Fugate introduced himself as the CRMC Executive Director and explained that he would be there only to facilitate the meeting but that the meeting would be run by the Fishermen’s Advisory Board (FAB).

Mr. Fugate updated everyone on the status of the discussions and stated that the CRMC Council granted a Stay in November so that negotiations could take place between Vineyard Wind and the Fishermen’s Advisory Board to overcome issued that have been identified or discussions on compensation packages.

The FAB members present introduced themselves as well as the attendees in the room.

2. FISHERMEN’S ADVISORY BOARD DISCUSSION WITH CRMC STAFF – status of negotiations for mitigation (compensation) from VW to commercial fishermen that will be affected by Vineyard Wind’s proposed wind farm layout.

A moment of silence was held for the two local fishermen, Oscar Diaz, Captain of the Mistress, and his nephew, John Ansay, who were lost at sea on January 1, 2019.

Lars Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind, gave a brief accounting of their progress with the VW project, explaining that they minimized the impact of the project and the project area by 24%. Mr. Pedersen stated that after the CRMC Full Council meeting, VW turned their attention to mitigation, and at the present, are in discussion with RIDEM on how to interpret the data which has become an intense discussion as they do not agree on the data interpretation and how to estimate the impact of the data being used.

Chair Dellinger explained that the deadline for the Fishermen’s Advisory Board vote is January 15th and he is concerned that they have not received any information from VW in which to base their review on. Chair Dellinger stated that information needed to be disseminated throughout the fishing community so that the Advisory Board can get feedback from the community they represent.

Mr. Brown expressed his concern that Vineyard Wind is trying to negotiate with the RI Governor as opposed to working and meeting with the members of the fishing community.

Jason McNamee, Chief of RIDEM Marine Fisheries, began by explaining that Marine Fisheries was conducting a detailed data analysis as requested by the Governor’s Office. The FAB members and meeting participants questioned Mr. McNamee in regards to what data was being analyzed. Mr. McNamee asserted that the data RIDEM has does not give a complete assessment of the value of the fisheries for the area but that it was the best data available.

The discussion led to many reasons why the RIDEM analysis is insufficient for compensation purposes as limited data are available in regards to species, timeframes, ecosystem impact and local economic impacts. Concerns were raised that with the completion of this wind farm and proposed future wind farms, the area will become a no fish zone due to environmental impact, marine safety and decommission circumstances.

FAB members also led a discussion on whether or not compensation mitigation is an appropriate alternative for the fishing community. Meeting attendees talked about wanting to earn a living using their chosen occupation of commercial fishing.

Mr. Fugate asked Mr. Pedersen if VW had given any thought to extending the time so that they could meet with the representatives of the fishing industry in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Mr. Pedersen replied that VW is committed to continuing to review and better understand the data and working with RIDEM Marine Fisheries.

Chair Dellinger expressed his concerns to Mr. Pedersen about VW’s lack of communication with the fishing industry as directed by the Coastal Resources Management Council at their Semimonthly meeting on November 27, 2018. Members expressed concerns that they will not receive the information needed within an appropriate timeframe to make a decision on January 15, 2019 regarding compensation.

6. ADJOURN

Recognizing that the Board was unable to accomplish anything further, Chair Dellinger ended the meeting with a statement in which he expressed his hope that Vineyard Wind made headway with RIDEM in the next few days.

Respectfully submitted,

Lisa A. Turner
Recording Secretary

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