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If you build it, they will come. So say fish experts about artificial reef structure – which is what Bluewater Wind will create when it installs turbines offshore to produce wind power.
Bluewater Wind’s planned 150 wind-catching turbines will generate power for tens of thousands of Delaware homes, but state fisheries head Roy Miller is thinking about what’s below the waves.
“From a fisheries perspective, there is the potential for 150 artificial reefs out there,” Miller said. Rock around the base of the turbine poles, called monopiles, will attract sport and commercial fish to the wind farm area, he said.
Bluewater Wind spokesman Jim Lanard said the monopiles will be hammered 90 feet down into the seabed. The sand they displace scatters, Lanard said, so the company will lay rocks around the base of each tower to keep the sand stable.
Three layers of rocks will be laid at different times during construction, Lanard said, but the depth of the layers is yet to be determined.
Still, the shelter provided by the rocks, as well as meals provided by the clams, mussels and other life that will attach to the rocks, will draw fish in, Lanard said.
Like oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, Delaware’s ocean wind turbines should make for great fishing, Miller said. “That’s one of the best fishing areas,” he explained, because fish, including sea bass, tautog, triggerfish, porgy, summer flounder and sheepshead, tend to be attracted to structures.
Sport fishermen could have some great years once construction of the project is completed, and that could be as early as 2012. The trade-off, Miller said, is that turbines might have a negative effect on commercial fishermen.
“If there are any draggers or trawlers actively doing commercial fishing, they could be inconvenienced,” said Miller. Turbines spaced half a mile apart and the cables connecting them on the ocean floor could be hazards, he said.
Lanard said his company is committed to working with area fishermen to ensure the wind farm is compatible with their interests.
He said bids from groups of commercial fishermen for offshore wind contracts indicate commercial fishing and wind farms are compatible.
On July 31, the Public Service Commission and representatives of three other state agencies approved a contract between Bluewater Wind and Delmarva Power, giving the Bluewater Wind project proposal a green light.
Delmarva Power will purchase up to 200 megawatts of wind power from Bluewater Wind, which can enlarge the wind farm to generate up to 600 megawatts. A cooperative of Delaware municipalities has also signed on to buy power from the project.
Bluewater Wind is now beginning a permitting phase that includes winning approval from federal and state agencies. Miller said state fisheries officials do not issue the necessary permits, but the agency might be asked for comments.
Bluewater Wind officials have said the project can be producing power as early as 2012. As part of the contract, Delmarva Power has agreed to not litigate, and wind farm proponents say eliminating that potential hurdle means the project is likely to begin producing power as predicted.
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