Comment from Meghan Lapp, Fishing Net Builder

I am totally opposed to wind farms off the coast of New England, especially Cape Wind and the proposed farms in the Great South CHannel. As a fishing industry member, I know that if wind turbines are put in those areas, we will have devastating ecological and economic impact on our fisheries. Fishermen who were told proir to the Cape Wind project that they would be allowed to continue to fish in their traditional fishing areas near the wind turbines are now being told the opposite. The same will happen in any area such as the Great South Channel- anywhere where wind turbines exist, fishing will not. Even if allowed to fish around wind turbines, the gigantic area covered or interrupted by the turbines themselves will be unfishable. These turbines also interfere dramatically with vessel navigation aids, such as radar; they are actually serious safety hazards at sea. The loss of this fishing ground and fishing ability results in social and economic destruction. Entire fishing communities and ways of life that have existed since the founding of our nation will be lost. To take that way is unacceptable. Furthermore, the offshore wind turbines planned for the Great South Channel in particular are ecologically devsatating. The area for proposed wind turbines is yellowtail flounder spawning ground and has been closed off to fishermen for decades, to protect spawning grounds- i.e. they have not even been allowed to skim over the surface of the ocean bottom with a net that does just that- skim- for fear that the spawning grounds would be damaged. Now it is somehow OK to destroy it permanently by cementing fixtures into it and digging it up by the acre?? Also, wind turbines have to shut down when winds get above 25 knots, so that they don't burn up. The winds in the Great South Channel are usually either nonexistant or 30-40 knots. How would they even be able to operate? Offshore wind power is not the answer for our ocean here.