In the spirit of famous family productions – like the Flying Wallendas – meet the Fishing Linnells, six generations of bloodlines still running like a current through the fishing industry.

Common sense might suggest the Linnells, a Chatham, Mass.-based family, might be the hardest markers of all when considering the relationship between the fishing industry and offshore wind.

And yet veteran fisherman Matt Linnell and his family not only accepted the scouting work offered by Sea Services North America, a unique collaboration between fishermen and offshore wind developers, but have thrived in it.

SSNA approached Matt Linnell a little more than a year ago to do some scouting for the 62-turbine wind farm planned by Vineyard Wind. The nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm is being built by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables about 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard.

The task was not easy, transforming a fishing vessel to a scout boat with high safety standards and communications systems.

“Sea Services has provided a great service for the wind industry and the fishermen who work for them,”  Linnell said. “The fishermen have provided a lot of knowledge on the way gear is set in these areas – as most of my captains have 30-plus years fishing. Sea Services has been able to talk to the guys fishing because they know most of them personally. When you know who you are talking to, it’s a big help when you’re asked to scout an area. We have the knowledge to get there and a pretty good idea who is fishing there.”

The family affair even includes Kelsie Linell, 25, an uncommon site in the fishing industry – and a captain, no less. Kelsie, who once dressed up lobsters in doll clothes as a child, was recently celebrated by the national fishing group Seafood Harvesters for Women’s History Month.  

“My dad always stressed that I could keep up with all the guys,” Kelsie told capecodfishermen.org.

Her cousin, Sam Linnell, who fishes F/V Great Pumpkin, said “Kelsie was always eagerly waiting to leave the dock in the morning with a big smile on her face. She has a great work ethic and is a fast fish cutter.”

Kelsie continued, “I just love the water, and I love captaining a vessel, and Sea Services has allowed me to do just that. And I would say – most of the time –  working with my family is a bonus,” she said with a chuckle.

SSNA has given a prominent fishing family more reason to be on the water. 

“It has given us a great opportunity,” Matt Linnell said. “My daughter captains for me. My brother and nephew fill in on the boats when they aren’t fishing. All the people who work for me are active fishermen and like the way this helps when fishing is slow. For me and my family, it has helped to keep our vessels working and give the people who work for us steady income between fishing and wind farming.”