In a meeting commercial fishermen from Winchester Bay and Reedsport questioned the OPT about the buoys that would be generate by the energy wave. They told OPT that the deeper energy wave could be better because then the buoys would have fewer impacts to commercial crabbers who also fish the same area. Now the OPT is developing a site off the North Spit as the potential would be small, about 60 acres, or less than 1/4 –square mile and about 1/4 –square mile, in Reedsport. The company planned to develop ten buoys for the Reedsport site and 20 for the Coos County site.
According to the company buoys placed in deeper ocean could have fewer impacts on crabbers but may create more impacts on salmon trollers or groundfish trawlers. The fishermen asked several questions to the company such as the reason behind the wave energy and not wind, is it going to help fishermen navigating past on the East side of the area, Are the buoys movable? Is the company getting federal funding?
They even enquired about OPT’s long term plan and the management of electric rates. Answering to them Steve Kopf spokesman, Ocean Power Technologies, said that Oregon International Port of Coos Bay Deputy Director Mike Gaul and Onno Husing, executive director of the Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association also have the same answer of developing deeper wave energy. He added that this would help and support the commercial fishing fleet.
Fishermen were concerned about their traditional fishing grounds using by the private firm’s gain. But Kopf wave energy would develop the area and the fishing technique which is going to be the gain of the local fishermen. Fishermen fear that if wave energy park grows rapidly then fishing grounds would be lost. Kopf assured that the developing of wave energy park could have a huge effect on the statewide fleet.
