While national headlines highlight regulatory and legal challenges facing the offshore wind industry under the current federal administration, commercial fishermen from New York to Massachusetts are telling a different story—one of resilience, adaptation, and real opportunity at sea.

Generational fishing families are partnering with Sea Services North America (SSNA) to deploy their seafaring expertise as safety vessel crews on New York’s Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind projects, 15 to 30 miles offshore. These vessels and crews are a vital part of the industry supply chain, safeguarding unburied subsea cables, scouting cable routes to prevent entanglements with fishing gear, and providing round-the-clock support to keep construction on schedule despite ongoing hurdles and weather conditions.

Sea Services North America’s role in that supply chain has resulted in the following to date:

• $30,000,000+ paid directly to commercial fishermen
• 20+ vessels actively deployed offshore
• 200+ trained crew members supporting construction operations

This work is helping deliver domestic, sustainable energy to New York families. Fishermen through SSNA’s cooperative model previously contributed to South Fork Wind—New York’s pioneering offshore wind farm—completed in 2024 and now reliably powering tens of thousands of Long Island homes with 132 MW of clean energy.

Most recently, Revolution Wind (serving Connecticut and Rhode Island) achieved a major milestone on March 13, 2026: initial turbines began delivering power to the New England grid under test conditions. The 704 MW project, now over 90% complete, is on track for full operations later this year powering more than 350,000 homes and businesses despite earlier federal pauses.

“These offshore wind developers are giving us fishermen another source of income between regular fishing trips and during closed seasons,” said longtime fisherman Butch Payne of the Long Island fleet. “Sea Services is also upgrading our boats with critical safety gear and providing crew training to meet strict offshore wind safety requirements—investments that benefit everyone working on these projects.”

Though current builds may mark the last major wave under this administration, the U.S. offshore wind supply chain remains robust. The industry is poised to accelerate when federal policies align with the need for reliable, affordable clean energy.

“New York continues to lead and remains committed to maintaining its workforce and supply chain for the future,” said Gary Yerman, co-founder and fleet manager of Sea Services North America. “We’ve built something unique—providing vessels, safety equipment, training, and compliance support that meet developers’ demands. These transferable skills keep our crews active in other offshore sectors, ensuring we’re ready to scale when the next projects launch.”

Significant potential lies ahead. The 2022 New York Bight lease auction by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) set a U.S. record at $4.3 billion—the highest-grossing offshore energy sale ever. BOEM estimates those six lease areas could support up to 7 gigawatts of capacity, enough to power nearly two million homes.

Through partnerships like SSNA’s, commercial fishermen aren’t just navigating change—they’re helping forge a more secure, domestic energy future while sustaining livelihoods and coastal communities. Gordon Videll, Co-Founder and CEO of SSNA said, “The political narrative claiming that offshore wind harms the commercial fishing fleet is not supported by the data. To the contrary, each turbine creates a new artificial reef ecosystem that benefits marine life, fishermen receive disruption payments for any impacts, and Sea Services North America (SSNA) has meaningfully supplemented incomes through new opportunities.”

About Sea Services North America Sea Services North America is a fisherman-led cooperative providing safe, compliant offshore support services for the renewable energy industry. SSNA Certified offers the only comprehensive training program designed exclusively for U.S. commercial fishermen entering the offshore wind market. Visit ss-na.com for more information on opportunities, training, and how fishermen are bridging to the clean energy future.