One of the Southern Shrimp Alliance’s most important achievements has been ensuring offshore wind energy development in the Gulf does not conflict with the shrimp fishery’s operations. Now, the scientific community says SSA’s advocated approach offers vital lessons for future marine planning that balances energy development and fisheries sustainability.
A recent academic paper published in Marine and Coastal Fisheries examines how high-resolution spatial data on shrimp fishing effort, gathered from vessel monitoring systems, was analyzed to identify and avoid potential impacts of proposed wind energy areas on the shrimp fleet. The study, “A novel approach to evaluate the effects of offshore energy infrastructure on the northern Gulf of America shrimp fleet,” validates SSA’s strategy and highlights the organization’s input and support.
The result: just one carefully placed 102,480-acre lease off the coast of Galveston, Texas and Lake Charles, Louisiana—an area with minimal shrimping activity—instead of the 13 wind energy areas originally proposed that would have devastated Gulf shrimp fishermen.
Different Strategies, Different Outcomes
While offshore wind development has devastated fishing communities along the Atlantic coast, Gulf shrimpers emerged with their fishing grounds virtually intact. SSA positioned the shrimp industry for success through a two-pronged strategy: collect data and drive cooperation.
1. The Power of Data: Electronic Logbooks as a Strategic Tool
For years, SSA advocated for something many fisheries actively resist: comprehensive data collection through electronic logbooks (ELBs). While other fisheries viewed monitoring with suspicion, SSA recognized a fundamental truth—it’s hard to win policy battles with anecdotes when your opponents have spreadsheets.
The investment paid off. SSA’s commitment to generating, funding, and improving data collection on shrimp fishing effort created an irrefutable record of where shrimpers work. The precise, reliable dataset has served as the foundation for fact-based decisions that have repeatedly protected the industry, preventing unnecessary fishing closures and blocking problematic artificial reef placements.
When regulators needed to understand shrimping patterns, SSA asked for an analysis of hard data showing exactly where vessels operated, when they fished, and how they navigated around existing offshore infrastructure like oil rigs.
2. Cooperation Over Confrontation: Voicing Concerns Through Engagement
While Atlantic fisheries strongly opposed offshore wind power development, SSA collaborated extensively throughout the siting process from day one.
In 2021, SSA formally requested that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) coordinate with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) to develop advanced spatial modeling for identifying suitable offshore wind locations. This wasn’t something the agencies were planning to do on their own. Without SSA’s intervention, Gulf shrimpers would have faced the same fate as their Atlantic counterparts.
BOEM agreed, and the resulting interagency partnership transformed the process. Using the electronic logbook data SSA had championed, regulators mapped active shrimping areas with unprecedented precision, analyzed how shrimpers navigate around existing offshore structures, and identified optimal wind energy areas that would minimize conflicts with shrimping operations.
The numbers tell the story: this process eliminated 99.7% of the acreage originally under consideration for leasing. Of the 13 areas BOEM initially identified as suitable for wind energy development in the Gulf—areas could have catastrophically disrupted access to traditional shrimping grounds—only a single, carefully selected area was ultimately leased.
Wind Energy Areas Rescinded
In August 2024, BOEM announced it is rescinding all designated Wind Energy Areas on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in compliance with Secretary’s Order 3437—Ending Preferential Treatment for Unreliable, Foreign Controlled Energy Sources in Department Decision-Making—and the Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2025—Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the OCS from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects.