A proposal by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to identify three areas off Southern Oregon’s coast as suitable for offshore wind farms will be devastating to Oregon’s commercial fishing industry. The three “call areas” will impact 2,181 square miles of prime fishing grounds.
“Roughly half of the Pacific whiting caught off the Oregon coast are taken out of the proposed call areas,” said MTC Executive Director Heather Mann. Negative impacts would also be felt by those in the shrimp, sablefish, and other fisheries.
MTC joined 11 other industry-related organizations to outline just how flawed the BOEM plans are and how little fishing interests were taken into consideration. To read the joint release, click here.
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