Fishermen – Attentive Energy

Our Commitment to Fishermen

Attentive Energy is committed to creating collaborative relationships with ocean users and the fishing community

We’ve engaged the fishing community since 2019 and initiated early dialogue even before obtaining a federal lease. Now a leaseholder, our engagement continues to be based on transparency, collaboration, and safety offshore.

Our Approach

To guide our outreach, Attentive Energy’s fisheries team has developed a Fisheries Communication Plan that outlines the steps we are taking to engage ocean users and fishing communities to inform our project development.

The Fisheries Communication Plan is not only designed to inform and facilitate collaboration with the fishing community, but also to address any safety concerns associated with our project and offshore wind development.

Read the plan

We want to hear from you.

Two-way communication is vital for fishermen and the offshore wind industry to effectively collaborate throughout all phases of Attentive Energy’s offshore wind project. Our belief is that by working collaboratively with ocean users and the fishing community, we can optimize on-water activity to prioritize safety and minimize impacts on natural resources.

TAKE THE SURVEY

NJ & NY Offshore Wind:
Engaging the Local Fishing Community

Attentive Energy values direct local engagement and our community-minded approach is a core value of the project. Attentive Energy plans to expand upon the engagement efforts completed prior to becoming a leaseholder through additional community and stakeholder outreach.

Safety Oriented

Identify and resolve safety concerns to facilitate fishing in the wind farm area and wholly improve commercial and recreational fishing safety.

Awareness

Enhance awareness of the Attentive Energy project and the BOEM offshore wind permitting process to emphasize opportunities for engagement.

Collaboration

Incorporate the experience of commercial and recreational fishing communities into Attentive Energy’s decision-making throughout project planning, design, and development.

Science Based

Utilize the best available science and data to identify any conflicts with the fishing community and consider those impacts holistically.

Accountable

Make available consistent and dependable communication throughout all phases of the project to the commercial and recreational fishing industries.

Proactive

Develop and present a conflict mitigation strategy that sets a process for resolving differences between the fishing community and the Project.

Lease Area OCS-A 0538

Attentive Energy is the leaseholder of OCS-A 0538, which is located approximately 54 miles from its nearest point to New York and 42 miles from its nearest point to New Jersey. The Lease Area is 84,332 acres with an average annual wind speed of 22.5 mph. The project is estimated to be operational in the late 2020s.

Fishing Gear Claims

Attentive Energy recognizes the possibility of interactions between offshore wind and fishing activity related to Attentive Energy’s offshore wind development in or around Lease Area OCS-A 0538. Attentive Energy believes that with proper communication, fishing gear interactions associated with site surveying, construction, and operations can be minimized. Should you experience a loss of, or damage to, fishing gear resulting from Attentive Energy’s activities, please fill out and submit the Gear Damage/Loss Claims Application to the Attentive Energy Fisheries Liaison and Marine Affairs Manager.

GEAR DAMAGE/loss claims application

Safety

At TotalEnergies, safety is a core value. We are uncompromising when it comes to safety and always treat safety as a matter of individual and collective responsibility. Our Attentive Energy team embraces this mentality and we’re committed to ensuring that one person’s safety is everyone’s safety.

We welcome input from the fishing community on safety related matters, and we’re committed to identifying and mitigating risks as early as possible. Please join us in promoting safety by communicating with our Fisheries and Marine Affairs teams.

Meet our engagement team

Brian LeFebvre

Marine Affairs Manager
brian.lefebvre@totalenergies.com

Sebastian Velez

Fisheries Liaison
sebastian.velez@totalenergies.com

FAQs

What offshore wind project is Attentive Energy currently developing?

Attentive Energy is the leaseholder of OCS-A 0538, which is located approximately 54 miles from its nearest point to New York and 42 miles from its nearest point to New Jersey. The lease area is 84,332 acres with an average annual wind speed of 22.5 mph. The project is estimated to be operational in the late 2020s.

How can the fishing and maritime communities get involved in the development process?

We want to hear from you, and we encourage members of the fisheries and maritime industries who will be directly affected by our project in lease area OCS-A 0538 to provide us with early feedback through our online survey. We encourage your feedback through these mechanisms to help us better understand how to work together.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PROJECT HERE

Will fishing be allowed in the wind farm after construction?

Yes. All types of fishing, including commercial and recreational, will be permitted within our offshore wind farm when construction is complete, and the project is operational. We regard safety as a core value in our operations offshore and as such anticipate there will be temporary exclusion zones during offshore construction and during some survey work.

Attentive Energy will work closely to communicate with commercial and recreational vessel operators well in advance of survey work and installation activities related to any temporary exclusion zones.

Will vessels be able to transit through Attentive Energy’s wind farms?

Operational offshore projects in the U.S. and around the world demonstrate the ability for vessels to transit safely near and through wind farms. Attentive Energy is committed to working with all vessel operators to understand their concerns about transits near and through our project. Additionally, we are incorporating the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Planning Guidelines governing siting and layout into our project’s design.

Will there be contract opportunities for fishermen and vessel operators?

Yes. Attentive Energy is looking to collaborate with the fishing and maritime communities wherever we can. This may include:

· Acting as Fisheries Representatives. Attentive Energy’s fisheries team is actively soliciting for Fisheries Representatives, if interested contact our fisheries team here: sebastian.velez@totalenergies.com.

· Contracting vessels to scout for potential gear conflicts before offshore surveys and to host offshore survey and data collection teams and equipment.

· Hiring fishermen to work as Onboard Fisheries Liaisons during offshore surveys to scout for potential conflicts and to communicate directly with other ocean users.

If you have other ideas on how fishermen and vessel operators can work with us, please reach out to our Fisheries Liaison, Sebastian Velez.

Read Additional FAQs

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