Massachusetts-based Vineyard Wind has announced the appointment of Crista Bank as fisheries liaison. In this role, Bank will lead the offshore wind company’s regional engagement with fishing industry representatives.
Most recently, Bank served as a fisheries biologist at the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at UMass Dartmouth, where she worked on collaborative research projects with commercial fishermen. Previously, she served on the Schooner Ernestina, the only surviving 19th-century, Gloucester-built fishing schooner, where she earned her 100-ton United States Coast Guard Captain’s license. She started her career teaching marine science at outdoor experiential education programs in New England, Southern California and the Florida Keys. Bank earned a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from UMass Dartmouth and a master’s degree in Fisheries Oceanography from SMAST.
In May, Vineyard Wind was selected to negotiate long-term contracts with Massachusetts’ electric distribution companies for the construction of an 800 MW wind farm 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Vineyard Wind says it remains on schedule to begin site construction in 2019 and bring the project to commercial operations by 2021. The company is a 50/50 joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables.
“We’re pleased to have Crista lead our efforts to address the important questions the fishing industry have raised about the impacts of offshore wind development on the marine environment and on sea life,” says Erich Stephens, chief development officer of Vineyard Wind. “Crista will play a key role in ensuring that the first large-scale offshore wind project in the U.S. helps establish a robust body of knowledge that will benefit the American offshore wind industry and the fishing community for decades to come.”
