Transcriber: M. Isabel Pardo Reviewer: Thanasis Zantrimas
I want you to picture what our oceans look like today.
In New England, commercial fishing has decimated many of our local species,
Offshore aquaculture pens are popping up along our coastlines,
and offshore wind turbines are coming.
And in some locations, they are already here.
Our coastlines are looking increasingly industrialized.
Okay, so, now I want you to picture our oceans
with massive schools of fish,
large pods of whales,
debris-free waters and healthy bright corals.
You might think I’m describing what our oceans once looked like,
but in fact, I’m describing what they could look like.
As a marine conservation biologist,
my work has taught me that our oceans are resilient.
So resilient that I’ve seen them rebound in the most unlikely places.
Even below offshore oiling gas platforms.
Okay, I know what you’re probably thinking.
Are we going to need to remove industry from our environment
in order to achieve this vision of a healthy ocean?
Well, I'm here to tell you about a different option.
An option in which industry in the environment don’t just coexist,
but thrive.
Let me tell you about the blue economy.
The blue economy refers to the sustainable use of our oceans
to improve livelihoods,
increase economic growth and create jobs.
all while preserving the health of our oceans.
Together we can, in fact, use our oceans without using them up.
This work is already happening through a program called Rigs-to-Reefs.
Rigs-to-Reefs enables offshore oil gas platforms
to modify their platform structures
so that they can continue to preserve marine life as an artificial reef.
Completely removing an offshore oil and gas platform is costly
and environmentally taxing,
especially when you consider the scallops, sea lions,
anemones and corals found colonizing the structure.
In fact, the average offshore platform provides a home
for thousands of fish individuals and up to six acres of habitat.
But when an oil platform is reefed, this marine ecosystem is left intact.
The upper portion of the platform is completely removed
and the wells are sealed and capped.
The oil companies save millions through this decommissioning process,
but split these cost savings with the state, fifty/fifty,
resulting in enormous sources of funding for local departments of Fish and Wildlife
and other state-run conservation efforts.
But what about New England?
We don't have offshore oil platforms,
but we know what’s coming: offshore wind turbines.
As we continue to shift away from our reliance on oil and gas,
wind has become one of the fastest growing energy sectors on the planet.
So how can we apply these lessons learned from repurposing oil platforms as reefs
towards helping us to build smarter wind farms?
Well, for one thing, I think most people look at wind turbines and oil platforms
as ugly blights on the horizon.
How many of you want to see a big wind turbine in your backyard?
But I wish you could see
the beauty of the marine ecosystems found thriving just below the surface.
Let's take a look at an example in the North Sea,
where there are hundreds of offshore wind turbines.
These turbines are changing the nature of the marine environment in complex,
beneficial and unexpected ways.
They're beginning to function as artificial reefs,
just like their oil platform cousins.
Now, this is especially important in areas where nearshore erosion, pollution,
runoff and red tides, like you see pictured here,
are degrading our nearshore natural reef environments.
In these areas, we’re finding that many species are actually moving offshore
towards structures like wind farms and offshore oil platforms.
Now, for all you mussel lovers out there,
you might be surprised to learn that 20%
of the North Sea’s blue mussel stocks are now found exclusively
on offshore wind turbines.
Now, the substructure of an offshore wind turbine looks a lot like that
of an offshore oil platform, with lots of beams and cross beams,
kind of like the scaffolding of a building.
Over time, these structures will form complex reef-like habitat
that not only compensates for shore habitat loss,
but actually increases biodiversity.
We can look to oil platforms as a sign of what’s to come
for offshore wind turbines,
at least when it comes to the ecological benefits.
And let me tell you, I am very excited because the future looks promising,
for many offshore oil platforms are considered to be among
some of the most productive marine ecosystems on the planet.
That’s saying a lot for an offshore oil platform.
The same can happen for offshore wind turbines
and just in time.
By 2030, the global demand for seafood is expected to increase
from 100 to 180 million tons.
To relieve pressure on wild fish stocks,
this 80 million ton deficit will need to be met through aquaculture.
Aquaculture is the breeding, raising and harvesting of marine life.
Basically, it’s like farming, but underwater.
So what if our wind turbines could do more than just produce energy,
but provide areas like New England with a sustainable source of food,
jobs and income?
It’s already happening in other areas of the world.
For example, a wind turbine-based aquaculture farm in the Netherlands
currently produces around 30,000 pounds of seaweed annually.
And this seaweed is used in a variety of food products.
Everything from milk to yogurt to ice cream.
And at the very same time,
this farm generates around 370 megawatts of power.
That’s enough to supply up to 50,000 homes with electricity.
Now, these turbine-based aquaculture farms don’t need to just occur
on standing offshore structures.
They can also occur on floating ones.
Because of New England’s deeper waters,
these floating structures are likely what will be constructed along our coastlines,
and they can be designed to incorporate a network of fish pens and kelp lines
providing New Englanders with an important source of food
and power.
Now, despite the promising outlook for offshore wind,
there is opposition in New England,
primarily from commercial and recreational fishermen.
This is totally understandable.
Fishermen have always opposed the developments of offshore structures
for fear that they could negatively impact their livelihoods.
But as oil platforms are increasingly recognized as fisheries hotspots,
their opinions are changing.
In California, most if not all, of the adult species of rockfish,
a recreationally popular species,
are now found exclusively on offshore oil platforms.
And in the Gulf of Mexico,
it’s widely believed that the entirety of the red snapper industry is supported
because of the presence of oil platforms.
Now, rather than fear the placement of these structures,
fishermen welcome their development and fear their removal.
The truth is, we do use our oceans,
and we will continue to use them to support our growing populations
and the energy demands of modern society.
If we can move beyond this,
us versus them, fishermen versus wind turbines,
environmentalists versus oil and gas,
we will find new ways to work together to conserve our oceans
for future generations.
We can,
and in fact, we must identify new opportunities
for creative ocean management
and build platforms, literally and figuratively,
for new industry to use our oceans without using them up.
Thank you.
(Applause)