Fishermen’s Energy of New Jersey, or FERN, a group of commercial fishing businesses from Cape May to Point Pleasant, has made unique announcement on the auspicious occasion of Earth Day. They asked the Cape May County freeholders to build wind turbines off the New Jersey shore as the FERN is looking for buyers of the electricity it hopes to produce. It also wants the freeholders to endorse the project.
Dan Cohen, the president of FERN and owner of Atlantic Capes Fisheries in Lower Township, told that over the next year, the FERN will develop a full economic model and offer a fixed price for the next 15 to 20 years. He also said that wind energy’s time has come, with oil at more than $100 per barrel, a weak dollar and carbon dioxide levels from fossil fuels leading to global warming and rising sea levels.
According to Cohen fishermen initially opposed offshore wind mills amid worries about how they would affect fisheries. Cohen said that the fishermen should see this as an opportunity and should become a part of it. He notes fishermen have docks and boats to service the turbines. County MUA Director Charles Norkis informed that the county spends about $2 million each year on electricity and the wind energy is the demand of time.
