Offshore wind developers Vineyard Wind will hold a series of open-house events where fishermen can apply for a program to compensate for losses from development of the 804-megawatt offshore wind turbine array off southern New England.

The Vineyard Wind Fisheries Compensatory Mitigation Program is open from March 4 to June 3. To qualify for the program, commercial fishing vessel owners/ operators are required to submit an online application during the eligibility period.

The ongoing eligibility period to June 3 is the only time that commercial fishing vessel owners/operators will be able to qualify for compensation from the program. Vineyard Wind is hosting events to help fishermen apply for the program, each day from 9 a.m to 12 p.m.: 

April 23: Montauk Fish Dock, 478 W. Lake Dive, Montauk, N.Y.

April 25: New Bedford Port Authority, 123 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, Mass.

April 26: Superior Trawl, 55 State Street, Point Judith, R.I.

More information is on the fisheries compensation program website at vw1fisheriescomp.com. 

As summarized by Vineyard Wind, qualifying fishermen must apply during the eligibility period and demonstrate that they:

-       Are a commercial fishing vessel owner/operator homeported in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, or Rhode Island.

-       Have a 2023 commercial fishing permit from NOAA Fisheries.

-       Have a valid government-issued vessel registration that shows vessel ownership, or a vessel lease agreement.

-       Fished in the Vineyard Wind 1 lease area, OCS-A 0501, for at least three years between 2016 and 2022.

-       Have annual revenue from fishing activities for the corresponding three years between 2016 and 2022.