Fishermen FAQs

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.

Attentive Energy is committed to prioritizing transparency and accessibility through communication and relationship building with East Coast fishing and mariner communities. The Attentive team is proud to be the first developer to hire a Fisheries Liaison, publish a Fisheries Communications Plan, and conduct a survey with 3,000+ mariners, all before obtaining a lease area.

We appreciate the time and information shared from fishermen who have responded to our early communications and surveys, and recognize there are similar requests coming at you from other organizations. As a leaseholder of OCS-A 0538, we are expanding upon our early outreach to maintain open lines of communication with the fishing and maritime industry.

Attentive Energy has long understood the importance of learning from and collaboration with the fishing and maritime industries. Our engagement team has included a Fisheries Liaison since 2019. Sebastian Velez joined the Attentive Energy team as Fisheries Liaison in February 2022 to continue engaging fishermen by providing subject matter expertise and aiding us in the development of our communications and engagement plans.

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 by contacting our Fisheries Liaison. We encourage your feedback through these mechanisms to help us better understand how to work together.

The US offshore wind industry supports and will comply with the Jones Act, which requires that US-flagged vessels transport merchandise, such as wind turbine blades, between two US “points.”

A wind turbine component loaded in the US — one point — and transported to an offshore wind project — a second point — must be done on a US-flagged vessel.

US-flagged vessels are built in the US, registered in the US, and primarily crewed by Americans.

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.

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.

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.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) requires all project components to be removed at the end of their lifespan unless otherwise authorized. All BOEM offshore wind leaseholders are required to post financial security to cover the cost of decommissioning (including removal) as a condition of the lease.

To learn more about offshore wind projects on the East Coast, visit:

• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Atlantic Fishing Industry Communication and Engagement
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Renewable Energy
• Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils – Offshore Wind in the Northeast Region
• National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium
• New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)  
• NOAA Fisheries Offshore Wind
• Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative
• Responsible Offshore Development Alliance