There is no doubt that artificial reef structure attracts more fish and the reef thrives on wind power. It is said that Bluewater Wind will create artificial reef structure when it installs turbines offshore to produce wind power. It is told that the Bluewater Wind’s planned 150 wind-catching turbines that will generate power for tens of thousands of Delaware homes, but state fisheries head Roy Miller is thinking about what’s below the waves.
According to Miller from a fisheries perspective, there is the potential for 150 artificial reefs out there. He added that rock around the base of the turbine poles, called monopiles, will attract sport and commercial fish to the wind farm area. Jim Lanard, Bluewater Wind spokesman, noticed that the monopiles will be hammered 90 feet down into the seabed. The sand they displace scatters so the company will lay rocks around the base of each tower to keep the sand stable.
Lanard also said that three layers of rocks will be laid at different times during construction but the depth of the layers is yet to be determined. He further adds that 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. Miller told that like oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, Delaware’s ocean wind turbines should make for great fishing because fish, including sea bass, tautog, triggerfish, porgy, summer flounder and sheepshead, tend to be attracted to structures.
Lanard informed that his company is committed to working with area fishermen to ensure the wind farm is compatible with their interests. He also said that bids from groups of commercial fishermen for offshore wind contracts indicate commercial fishing and wind farms are compatible. It is told that 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.
