Offshore Wind Energy and New Jersey's Marine Fisheries
Saturday, February 26, 2022
11:00am
$5 / Free for members
Speaker: Dr. Douglas Zemeckis

In 2018, New Jersey's commercial fishing and seafood industries had an estimated $3.6 billion economic impact and supported over 49,000 jobs, while the recreational fishing industry had an estimated $1.3 billion economic impact with over 750,000 participating anglers. Therefore, these industries are very important to the coastal and statewide economy, as well as the social dynamics of coastal communities while producing local, high-quality seafood. It is critical that the needs and issues related to our marine fishing industries be considered during the development of the offshore wind energy industry in order to maximize the compatibility among these industries and support the long-term sustainability of New Jersey's marine fisheries. This talk will provide an overview of New Jersey's marine fisheries and many of these issues related to anticipated impacts from offshore wind energy development on fisheries resources and fishing activities.

Dr. Douglas Zemeckis serves as a County Agent III (equivalent to Assistant Professor) with Rutgers Cooperative Extension. In this role, he conducts educational programming and applied research on issues related to fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal marine resource management focusing on Ocean, Atlantic, and Monmouth counties.